FSLR vs. QCOM: First Solar vs. QUALCOMM Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) are both classified in the Semiconductors sub-industry within the broader Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Profile Item	FSLR	QCOM
Name	First Solar Inc.	QUALCOMM Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductors	Semiconductors
Market Capitalization	21.62 billion USD	176.99 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	November 17, 2006	December 13, 1991
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FSLR

QCOM

GSPC

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
Total Return (1Y)	-28.81%	4.41%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	12.86%	15.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.80%	3.17%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FSLR

QCOM

GSPC

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	52.55%	55.42%
Beta (5Y)	1.67	1.73
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-59.97%	-44.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.40M	12.25M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FSLR and QCOM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.63	0.00
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.85	0.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 52.82% sits in the top ROE quartile, while First Solar (FSLR) at 18.71% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for QCOM.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

18.71%

Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
FSLR: 18.71%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

52.82%

QCOM: 52.82%
Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both First Solar (FSLR) at 37.12% and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 31.61% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

37.12%

Max: 63.80%
FSLR: 37.12%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

31.61%

Max: 63.80%
QCOM: 31.61%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

First Solar (FSLR) at 44.37% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 15.41%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

44.37%

Max: 58.66%
FSLR: 44.37%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

15.41%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
QCOM: 15.41%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
ROE (TTM)	18.71%	52.82%
ROA (TTM)	8.60%	10.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	37.12%	31.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)	44.37%	15.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)	49.25%	53.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

First Solar (FSLR) at 24.09% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at -2.63% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 153.49% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than First Solar (FSLR) at 18.22%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	24.09%	-2.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	25.84%	6.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.22%	153.49%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	25.53%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

First Solar (FSLR) at 2.57 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 1.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for QCOM.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.57

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
FSLR: 2.57
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.86

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
QCOM: 1.86
Min: 1.03

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

First Solar (FSLR) at 0.03 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 0.53 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.03

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
FSLR: 0.03
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.53

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
QCOM: 0.53
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.57	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.03	0.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.52	0.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

First Solar (FSLR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile QUALCOMM (QCOM) reports a yield of 2.31%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
FSLR: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.31%

QCOM: 2.31%
Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

First Solar (FSLR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile QUALCOMM (QCOM) reports a payout of 28.50%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
FSLR: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.50%

Max: 49.64%
QCOM: 28.50%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.31%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	28.50%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both First Solar (FSLR) at 11.63 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 13.02 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

11.63

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
FSLR: 11.63
Min: 8.12

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.02

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
QCOM: 13.02
Min: 8.12

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both First Solar (FSLR) at 4.31 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 4.10 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

4.31

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
FSLR: 4.31
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

4.10

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
QCOM: 4.10
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

First Solar (FSLR) at 1.99 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 5.83 is valued near its industry’s middle — FSLR is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

FSLR

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.99

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
FSLR: 1.99
Min: 0.20

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.83

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
QCOM: 5.83
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

First Solar (FSLR) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for First Solar (FSLR) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	FSLR	QCOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	11.63	13.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.31	4.10
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.99	5.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.18%	5.15%