Tag Archives: technology

SolarCity Q1 Demand Nipped By Rivals Sunrun, Vivint Solar

No. 1 residential installer SolarCity ( SCTY ) lagged rivals Sunrun ( RUN ) and Vivint Solar ( VSLR ), as March solar applications in California declined year over year, while the entire segment trailed triple-digit commercial growth, a Credit Suisse analyst said Thursday. Credit Suisse analyst Patrick Jobin’s report follows SolarCity’s Q1 earnings, released late Monday. SolarCity stock was blistered this week on Q2 guidance that missed views, while its 2016 installation outlook  was cut on Q1 bookings that fell 150 megawatts flat. Sunrun is slated to report its Q1 earnings late Thursday. In midday trading on the stock market today , SolarCity stock was down 1.5%, after its shares dove 21% on Tuesday in reaction to the company’s earnings report. Sunrun and Vivint stocks were down 3% and 1%, respectively, midday Thursday. SolarCity’s “horrendous” bookings and weak guidance appear to be self-inflicted, Jobin wrote in a research report. “We do see modest growth decelerating in California but note that all growth is not gone,” he wrote. “Sunrun, who reports this afternoon, appears to have fared better in Q1.” For Q1, Sunrun is expected to report $87.7 million in sales, down 12% quarter over quarter, and a 48-cent per-share loss minus items, widening from a 15-cent loss in the previous quarter. SolarCity and Vivint each reported March-quarter losses this week. Excluding Nevada — which accounted for 12 MW in Sunrun’s backlog — Q1 deployments are expected to be flat sequentially. SolarCity and Sunrun exited Nevada in December when regulators cut net-metering payments to solar customers. In March, SolarCity’s residential applications fell 8% year over year vs. 17% and 23% growth from Sunrun and Vivint, respectively, Jobin wrote. Total residential applications for 73 MW of solar to utility companies grew 14.5% vs. last year. The commercial segment was the main driver in March, where 41 MW in total applications were up 136% year over year. Third-party ownership also picked up in March, reaching 62% of all residential applications vs. the 60% average for the second half of 2015.

Court Ruling On Open Internet Imminent For Comcast, Verizon, AT&T

A federal appeals court could hand down a decision any day on the Open Internet Order — also called “net neutrality” — rules opposed by Internet service providers such as AT&T ( T ), Comcast ( CMCSA ) and Verizon Communications ( VZ ). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit typically releases decisions on Tuesdays and Fridays. Telecommunications, cable and wireless industry trade groups have challenged the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to enforce rules for an open Internet . In separate cases, Verizon and Comcast have successfully challenged earlier FCC net neutrality rules. A ruling from “D.C. Circuit 3” appeals court had been expected as early as April. The three-judge panel heard oral arguments in December. Judge David Tatel, who ruled against the FCC in an earlier case, in December appeared more favorable to the FCC’s position, some analysts say. Phone and cable TV stock will likely trade up or down depending on the ruling from the appeals court’s three judge panel. The case, however, could reach the U.S. Supreme Court. “Most agree this is an issue that will likely end up before the Supreme Court, especially if the FCC wins,” said Jennifer Fritzsche, a Wells Fargo analyst, in a research report published Thursday. Jonathan Atkin, an analyst at RBC Capital, said in a recent report that the appeals court may overturn rules on net neutrality that apply to wireless networks but uphold those for wireline broadband. Another court option is to “remand” the FCC’s rule-making back to the agency for additional work The FCC in February 2015 reclassified broadband services as a public utility, in order to enforce net neutrality rules under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act . The agency also expanded net neutrality rules to wireless networks for the first time. The rules bar ISPs from throttling, blocking or prioritizing Web traffic. The FCC also created a general conduct standard that ISPs cannot harm consumers or service edge providers, such as Alphabet ‘s ( GOOGL ) Google or Netflix ( NFLX ). Some consumer groups over the past six months have objected to new, so-called “zero-rated,” services offered by Verizon, Comcast and T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) that do not count video or data usage toward monthly caps.

Tesla Production Target Said To Be Achievable, Price Target Hiked

Electric automaker Tesla ( TSLA ) got a price-target increase from Evercore ISI on Thursday, as analyst George Galliers defended the automaker’s ambitious production targets. Tesla sparked debate when it said in its Q1 earnings report last week that its was moving up its goal of manufacturing 500,000 cars a year by two years, to 2018. Galliers acknowledged that this will be a tough task, given that the company made only 51,000 vehicles last year, but he said it’s not impossible. “Tesla’s proposed production ramp is aggressive, and many have suggested that it is without precedence,” he wrote in his research note, raising Tesla’s price target to 320 from 310. “However, while we are not aware of any developed-world manufacturer who has seen such an aggressive ramp since inception, certain Chinese OEMs’ (original equipment manufacturers’) production growth is not that dissimilar to what Tesla is looking to achieve.” Galliers added that Ford ( F ) had built as many vehicles in year one of some product launches, such as the Ford Focus and the F-150. Some of the skepticism has come from Tesla’s troubled launch of the Model X SUV, but Galliers, like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, dismissed the comparison. “Building cars is not like playing tennis,” he wrote. “No OEM is only as good as its last match/product launch.” Despite this vote of confidence, Tesla stock was down a fraction in early trading on the stock market today , near 208.