Operator
Operator
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to First Solar's Fourth Quarter 2014 Earnings Call. This call is being webcast live on the Investors section of First Solar's website at firstsolar.com. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. I would now like to turn the call over to David Brady, Vice President of Treasury and Investor Relations for First Solar, Inc. Mr. Brady, you may begin. David Brady - Vice President-Treasury & Investor Relations: Thank you, operator. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us. Today, the company issued a press release announcing its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2014. A copy of the press release and the presentation are available on the Investors section of First Solar's website at firstsolar.com. With me today are Jim Hughes, Chief Executive Officer; and Mark Widmar, Chief Financial Officer. Jim will provide a business and technology update, then Mark will discuss our fourth quarter financial results in detail and provide guidance for the first quarter of 2015. We will then open up the call for questions. Most of the financial numbers reported and discussed on today's call are based on U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Please note that this call will include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's current expectations. We encourage you to review the Safe Harbor statements contained in the press release and the slides published today for a more complete description. It is now my pleasure to introduce Jim Hughes, Chief Executive Officer. Jim? James Alton Hughes - Chief Executive Officer & Director: Thanks, David. Good afternoon and thank you for joining us for our fourth quarter 2014 earnings call. Let me begin by addressing the announcement made yesterday that we are in advanced negotiations with SunPower to form a joint YieldCo vehicle to which we expect to contribute a portfolio of selected solar generation assets. Upon the execution of a master formation agreement, the parties intend to file a registration statement with the SEC for an initial public offering of the YieldCo. Completion of the joint venture and IPO is subject to the execution of definitive documentation and board and regulatory approval. We cannot say any more about the transaction at this time, and we will not be taking any questions on the subject in our Q&A session today. We expect to file a public S-1 this quarter, which will provide additional details on this proposed transaction. However, I do want to emphasize the strategic value of this decision to First Solar shareholders. We have undertaken a careful study of the strategic options available and have determined that this is the best course of action to maximize project and shareholder returns in the long-term. This combination brings together the two leading and most bankable companies in the solar industry with a combined installed base of 16 gigawatts, the strongest balance sheets in the sector and combined strength in utility scale and distributed generation as well as a broad geographical base. Lastly, as a result of this announcement, the 2015 target we provided at our prior Analyst Day is no longer applicable. Until we have clarity on the creation of a joint YieldCo with SunPower, we do not believe it is meaningful to provide full year 2015 guidance. Moreover, as a result of this potential transaction, we have decided to delay an Analyst Day at this time. We will continue to evaluate holding an Analyst Day later this year. Now, for an update on our technology. First, as we announced earlier this month, we have set yet another new world record for CadTel cell efficiency of 21.5%. This latest milestone certified at the Newport Lab and documented in NREL Best Research Cell Efficiencies exceeds our previous records of 21%. We have now increased our record cell efficiency by over 400 basis points since mid-2011. This remarkable achievement demonstrates the potential of our CadTel technology and is another tremendous accomplishment by our R&D team. In conjunction with our record cell efficiency, we also announced that our production PV modules have reached a quality and reliability milestone by achieving Atlas 25+ certification following a rigorous series of long-term combined-stress environmental exposure tests. This certification represents some of the most stringent standards available, and demonstrates that the progress in our module technology is not only in efficiency improvements, but also in quality and reliability. We continue to see the advancements in our technology manifest in our production module efficiency. Our full fleet average conversion efficiency for the fourth quarter was 14.4%, a 20 basis point improvement from the prior quarter and a 100 basis point improvement from the prior year. We now have several lines of production running our latest technology and we are encouraged by the results. So far this month, four of these lines have averaged an impressive 15.8% efficiency. This technology will be rolled out across the fleet over the course of 2015. Switching briefly to our TetraSun product, we have recently begun production of our TetraSun modules at our manufacturing facility in Malaysia. We are encouraged by the performance of the technology, which is being produced with initial cell efficiencies of 20.5%. Our expected capacity for 2015 is approximately 50 megawatts and we will ramp future production levels based on market demand. Let me now turn to slides 5 and 6, which highlight the tremendous progress we made in new bookings in 2014 and during the first two months of 2015. As in the past, this data represents our total business and includes systems, Module Plus and module-only sales. Total bookings for 2014 were 2.5 gigawatts DC, which equates to a book-to-bill ratio of 1.7. This far exceeds the 2 gigawatt DC target we communicated at Analyst Day last year and highlights the momentum in our bookings. Since our last earnings call, we have booked over 1 gigawatt with 726 megawatts recorded prior to the end of 2014 and the remaining 311 megawatts occurring during the first two months of 2015. As a result, our ending outstanding bookings are now at 4 gigawatts DC, an increase of 1.3 gigawatts from where we began 2014. The strength of these bookings and the accelerating demand we have seen in recent months is a testament to the increasing competitiveness of our module technology. The single largest booking in the quarter was the 130 megawatts AC California Flats project. As previously announced, the PPA for this project was signed with Apple and is the largest agreement in the industry to provide solar power to the commercial end user. This 25-year PPA will provide power to Apple's new headquarters, data centers and retail operations in California. This deal signals the growing importance of affordable clean energy to commercial customers. Combined with the previously announced 150 megawatt AC PPA signed with PG&E, the total project stands at 280 megawatts AC. The combined size of the California Flats project represents one of the largest self-developed projects announced in the last several years, highlighting our tremendous strength in utility-scale solar. This past quarter, we continued to demonstrate significant progress in the southeastern United States. We signed agreements with Southern Power to provide EPC services to two projects in Georgia totaling over 210 megawatts AC. The larger of the two, the 130 megawatt AC Taylor project is expected to begin construction in September of this year and achieve COD in late 2016. Additionally, we recently signed a 188 megawatt DC Module Plus deal with Strata Solar to supply projects in North Carolina. All together, our bookings in the southeastern U.S. since mid-2014 now total almost 700 megawatts DC. We also saw strength in our international bookings. In India, we contracted 265 megawatts DC of volume since our last call. As disclosed previously, we were awarded 80 megawatts AC of projects in Andhra Pradesh, India. We have now signed the PPA on these projects and included them in our booking total. The remaining volume booked in the quarter was module-only sales. Underscoring our commitment to the growing solar market in India, we announced last week at RE-Invest a commitment to develop 5 gigawatts of solar projects by 2019. We are excited by the Indian government's vision for solar energy and look forward to helping them achieve these goals. Also, in Turkey, we were encouraged by the results of the recent solar power tender where we secured 19 megawatts AC of connection capacity. Other partners competing with First Solar technology were also successful. While small on relative terms to our overall bookings for the quarter, it is a significant first step in a market with tremendous potential for solar. Turning to outstanding bookings and revenue terms, our expected revenue stands at $7.5 billion, approximately flat compared to the beginning of the year. The increase in megawatts booked was offset by a higher mix of module-only and Module Plus volume, which resulted in the flat revenue bookings, but also is indicative of our efficiency improvements on the competitiveness of our module in the global marketplace. Turning to slide 7, I will now cover our potential bookings opportunities, which now stand at 13.5 gigawatt DC, a slight decrease from 13.7 gigawatts in the prior quarter, primarily due to the conversion of several opportunities to bookings. As a reminder, this represents all potential bookings whether they are self-developed projects, EPC contracts, Module Plus or module-only. Contracted projects are not included in this total. While our total opportunities decreased slightly, we are encouraged by the increase in the size of our mid to late-stage deals, which increased by over 500 megawatts from the prior period. Slide 8 shows the breakdown of demand by geography. Our opportunity set outside of North America stands at 7.5 gigawatts or 56% of the total. One indication of the continued progress we are making in developing international markets is that the vast majority of our roughly 1.5 gigawatts of mid to late-stage deals are outside of North America. And finally, in December, we announced our entry into the residential solar market with a strategic investment in Clean Energy Collective. CEC is the nation's leading developer of community solar and this strategic partnership allows us to develop end-market community solar offerings to residential customers and businesses directly on behalf of client utilities. Community solar is not only a more cost effective solution for customers, but it also significantly expands consumers' access to solar electricity. This allows any power consumer to go solar including those who live in multi-tenant buildings, rent or whose rooftops cannot accommodate solar panels. In contrast to typical residential rooftop installations, which are limited to a fraction of the population due to factors such as income, local radiance and homeownership, virtually anyone can benefit from community solar. Community solar allows an individual to benefit directly from owning part of a solar asset without concern such as an increase in their homeowners insurance problems that arise when their rooftop requires repair or replacement or transferability of residential rooftop leases when they sell their home. For example, a student renting a condo could own panels through a community solar program and take along credit for that solar power even when he moves or just transfer or sell his ownership to a third-party without the need for credit scores. This strategic partnership with CEC allows First Solar to play to the strength of our proven utility scale capabilities, while leveraging the expertise of a leading community solar program operator. As an integral part of our distributed generation strategy, we will provide periodic updates on the progress of this partnership. Now, I'll turn it over to Mark, who will provide detail on our Q4 financial results and discuss guidance for the first quarter of 2015. Mark R. Widmar - Chief Financial & Accounting Officer: Thanks, Jim, and good afternoon. Turning to slide 11, I'll begin by discussing fourth quarter operational performance. Production in the quarter was 509 megawatts DC, an increase of 13% from the prior quarter and 15% higher year-over-year due to the restart of our four manufacturing lines in Malaysia as well as higher module efficiency. Our factory capacity utilization was 84%, up 7 percentage points from the third quarter. Higher factory utilization was also due to the restart of the idle capacity. In the fourth quarter, the average conversion efficiency of our modules was 14.4%, which is up 20 basis points quarter-over-quarter and 100 basis points higher year-over-year. Our best line averaged 14.8% efficiency during the quarter, an increase of approximately 50 basis points from the prior quarter. As Jim mentioned, our best lines are averaging 15.8% for the month of February. The substantial increase in our lead line efficiency continues to highlight the great progress our team is making to deliver our module efficiency roadmap, which effectively is converting our record cell and module accomplishment into reality. We are encouraged by our CadTel entitlement and the relative competitive energy density it can achieve. Moving on to slide 12, I'll discuss the P&L. Net sales for the fourth quarter were just over $1 billion compared to sales of $889 million last quarter. The increase is due to the sale of the Solar Gen project to Southern, initial revenue recognition on Silver State South, higher third-party module sales and various other system projects under construction. This was partially offset by lower revenue from our Desert Sunlight and Topaz projects which both achieved substantial completion in the quarter. As a percentage of total net sales, our system revenue, which includes both our EPC revenue and solar modules used in the system projects, was 92%, a decrease of three percentage points from the prior quarter. The higher mix of third-party module sales was primarily due to recognizing revenue on BELECTRIC's landing project, which at 46 megawatts DC is the largest operating solar farm in the U.K. For 2014, net sales increased to $3.4 billion compared to $3.3 billion in 2013. Relative to our guidance for the quarter, sales were lower due to a partial sale of the Solar Gen project, the timing of some module sales pushed into early 2015, and lower system revenue from weather-related delays. As highlighted in our last earnings call, our guidance assumed we sold 100% of Solar Gen to Southern; however, we noted subject to certain terms and conditions, we had the right to retain a minority interest in the project. In the fourth quarter, we elected to retain a 49% interest in Solar Gen. Gross margin in the fourth quarter was 30.6% compared to 21.3% in the third quarter. The increase was due to a higher profit associated with partial sale of Solar Gen and cost reductions on the Topaz and Desert Sunlight projects. On a full year basis, gross margins decreased 170 basis points to 24.4% from 26.1% in 2013. The lower gross margin was the result of the mix of system projects under construction between the periods. Fourth quarter operating expenses increased to $109 million, primarily due to the higher startup expenses associated with restarting capacity. For the full year 2014, operating expenses were $403 million compared to 2013 operating expenses of $407 million, which excludes $87 million of restructuring and asset impairments. The decrease in operating expenses from 2013 was primarily due to lower depreciation and compensation expenses, partially offset by higher investment in research and development of our CadTel technology. Operating income for the quarter was $199 million compared to $84 million in Q3. The increase was due to higher sequential sales and the increase in gross margins discussed earlier. For the year, operating income was $424 million compared to 2013 operating income of $455 million, which also excludes the $89 million of restructuring and asset impairments. Fourth quarter GAAP net income was $192 million or $1.89 per fully diluted share compared to $0.87 per fully diluted share in the third quarter. Full year earnings per fully diluted share was $3.91 including a $0.26 benefit of a one-time tax item noted in Q3. Excluding this item, full year earnings per share were $3.66. Note that relative to our guidance for the quarter and full year, there were several factors that led to the difference between our actual result and expectations. First, as indicated, we have elected to retain a minority interest in Solar Gen. As a result, a portion of the revenue associated with this project was not recognized in the quarter and contributed to the lower-than-forecasted revenue. Gross margin and operating income exceeded the guidance for the quarter due to the higher-than-expected profits associated with Solar Gen and significant project cost savings on our Desert Sunlight and Topaz projects. The resulting earnings were significantly higher than the $2.80 per share which was the upper end of our full year guidance due to the aforementioned factors and a lower-than-expected tax rate, which resulted from a favorable mix of jurisdictional income. Putting the results into context for the year, excluding the $0.26 per share one-time tax item we highlighted in Q3, our full year earnings would have been $3.66. The difference between the $3.66 and the $2.80 guidance is attributed to an additional $0.26 from the lower-than-expected tax rate in Q4, with the remaining difference approximately $0.60 due to our better-than-expected gross margin. This highlights the strength of our execution from our core business and the project cost savings achieved. Turning to slide 13, I will review the balance sheet and cash flow summary. Cash and marketable securities increased by approximately $876 million to $2 billion. Our net cash position nearly doubled to just under $1.8 billion. The increase in cash resulted primarily from the sale of Solar Gen as well as the collection of retention payments on our Desert Sunlight and Topaz projects. We anticipate that our cash position will continue to have large fluctuations quarter-to-quarter as we continue to construct some projects on balance sheet. Our net working capital including the change in non-current project assets and excluding cash and marketable securities, decreased by approximately $845 million from the prior quarter. The decrease was due to the reduction in unbilled accounts receivables from the collection of cash retention on Topaz and Desert Sunlight, a decrease in deferred project cost from the sale of Solar Gen and a reduction in trade AR. These items were partially offset by an increase in inventories. Total debt during the quarter decreased slightly to $217 million. Of this total, $75 million is project level debt associated with our Luz del Norte project in Chile. Cash flow from operations was $928 million compared to cash flow used in operations of $47 million in Q3. Free cash flow was $858 million compared to negative free cash flow of $107 million in the prior quarter. Capital expenditures totaled approximately $73 million, a slight increase from $71 million in the prior quarter. Depreciation for the quarter was $62 million compared to $60 million in the prior quarter. Turning to slide 14, I will now discuss our guidance for the first quarter of 2015. Note that given the announcement regarding the proposed YieldCo formation, we are holding off on providing full year guidance at this time. Specific to the quarter, our anticipated financial results is being impacted as we hold projects, build them on balance sheet for the potential YieldCo creation previously mentioned. While we believe this path will create long-term project and shareholder value, in the near-term, it will result in lower financial results than if we had sold these projects to a third-party. Our abbreviated financial guidance for the first quarter is as follows: net sales in the range of $550 million to $650 million, a loss of $0.25 to $0.35 per fully diluted share, cash used in operations expected to be between $400 million and $500 million. The sequentially lower revenue earnings and operating cash flow is due to two main factors. First, in the fourth quarter, we sold a partial interest in Solar Gen and achieved substantial completion on our Topaz and Desert Sunlight projects. In addition, we are constructing several projects on balance sheet in Q1. We expect to complete nearly 200 megawatts in the quarter where we will not recognize any revenue. Now, moving on to slide 15, I'd like to summarize our progress during the past quarter and past year. First, we continue to demonstrate the enormous potential of our CadTel technology. We set another new cell record efficiency of 21.5%, positioning us firmly on track to meet the 22% target we set last year. In addition, our efficiency continues to improve rapidly. Our lead line efficiency improved to 14.8% in Q4, which is 90 basis points improvement from the prior year. We've had tremendous progress in our new bookings with 2.5 gigawatts contracted during the year. We set a target of 2 gigawatts to book for the year and we have exceeded that goal. Our book-to-bill ratio for the year was 1.7, allowing us to replenish our pipeline. From a financial standpoint, we exceeded both our earnings per share and operating cash flow guidance. Finally, we believe the announced joint YieldCo with SunPower is the best avenue to achieve to help provide access to sustainable, competitive cost of capital, which should ultimately provide enhanced value to the First Solar shareholders. With that, we conclude our prepared remarks and open the call for questions. Operator?