5 Best Solar Stocks To Own Right Now

Say what you want about the tech sector, but it's never boring. Any given week will keep tech investors flooded with product announcements, earnings surprises, and crazy strategy shifts that absolutely nobody saw coming.

These are three of the most shocking pieces of tech news this week.

That's just ostrichious! Image credit: Flickr Commons.

The return of solar power
Solar-power giant First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) published an updated revenue and earnings outlook for the next couple of years. The next day, shares soared 45.5% higher. At the midpoint of management's guidance ranges, First Solar beat Wall Street's 2013 revenue target by 25% and next year's estimates by 13%.

Investors were pleasantly surprised by First Solar's new targets, which include the impact of a recent acquisition. As the company incorporates TetraSun's high-efficiency solar technology in its own products, First Solar will be able to enter whole new markets and offer better solutions at a lower cost.

Top 5 Sliver Stocks For 2015: JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited(JKS)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar power products in China and internationally. The company provides solar modules, silicon wafers and ingots, and solar cells, as well as processing services, including silicon wafer tolling services. It sells its products under the JinkoSolar brand name. The company?s customers include distributors, project developers, and system integrators. It trades its products under short-term contracts and by spot market sales. The company also produces accessory materials for solar power products, such as solar aluminum frame, solar junction box, aluminum materials windows, and other metal component parts. JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in 2006 and is based in Shangrao, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Solar stocks are shooting higher again today as the strong run in 2013 continues. LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) , Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) , Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) , Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) , and JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS  ) led the way, gaining between 10% and 22% today.

5 Best Solar Stocks To Own Right Now: Peabody Energy Corporation(BTU)

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in the mining of coal. It mines, prepares, and sells thermal coal to electric utilities and metallurgical coal to industrial customers. The company owns interests in 30 coal mining operations located in the United States and Australia, as well as owns joint venture interest in a Venezuela mine. It is also involved in marketing, brokering, and trading coal. In addition, the company develops a mine-mouth coal-fueled generating plant; and Btu Conversion projects that are designed to convert coal to natural gas or transportation fuels; and clean coal technologies. As of December 31, 2011, it had 9 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves. The company was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU) jumped more than 9% initially after the news of its earnings. This stock is up 4% at $20.85 in late-Monday trading. This would be the first time that Peabody would be staying over $20 as a stock since May. Drivers have been stronger demand in Europe and China and with lower production costs. These trends may vary widely from producer to producer, and we would be very leery of trusting that universally.

• [By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South]

  Earnings season is in full swing for the first quarter, and Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) came out with a positive forecast for things to come. After announcing a narrower than expected loss for the most recent quarter, the company stated that both domestic and international markets show signs of strength to forge on through 2013.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Mehta and Joshi also maintained their Sell rating on Arch Coal (ACI) and see the most upside in Buy-rates SunCoke Energy (SXC), which they see hitting $26, and Peabody Energy (BTU), which could hit $21.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Added: Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU)

  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation by 44.44%. His purchase prices were between $14.54 and $21.17, with an estimated average price of $19.16. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. His holdings were 260,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.

5 Best Solar Stocks To Own Right Now: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.(JASO)

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of photovoltaic solar cells and solar products, which convert sunlight into electricity in the People's Republic of China. The company?s principal products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells, as well as various solar modules. It also provides silicon wafer and solar cell processing services. The company sells its products primarily under the JA Solar brand name, as well as produces equipment for original equipment manufacturing customers under their brand names. It sells its solar cell and module products primarily to module manufacturers, system integrators, project developers, and distributors in the Germany, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, Spain, India, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea. The company has strategic partnerships with various solar power companies, such as BP Solar, Solar-Fabrik, and MEMC/SunEdison. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) stands to benefit from the increased demand for solar power from China. That country is set to overtake Europe, the U.S., and Japan as the world�� largest consumer of solar panels and modules. That�� good for the Chinese solar makers, but it will be difficult for U.S. analysts and investors to figure out exactly what�� happening with the individual companies due to the lack of real transparency into their operations.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  © 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Yingli Green said it will continue to fight a U.S. plan to close a loophole that allowed Chinese solar manufacturers to avoid tariffs by assembling their products outside China. Yingli shares dropped 6.4% to $2.76 premarket. Among the other Chinese solar stocks trading lower Wednesday are JinkoSolar Holding Co.(JKS), Trina Solar Ltd.(TSL) and JA Solar Holdings Co.(JASO)

5 Best Solar Stocks To Own Right Now: Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd.(HSOL)

Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. The company also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services. It sells its products to solar power system integrators and distributors primarily in Germany, Italy, Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, and China. The company was formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. in December 2010. Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Qidong, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big Earnings Movers: Hanwha SolarOne Co. (NASDAQ: HSOL) is down 13.9% at $4.36. D.R. Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) is up 4.7% at $18.91 on good earnings boosted by land sales.

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  The tech market's news today includes a plunge in Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: HSOL) shares, which are down 5% in morning trade after its second-quarter loss narrowed to $0.32 per share from a loss of $0.43 in Q1.