Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. FSLR scored 71.1, RUN scored 31.8 — FSLR leads.
Compare another set
FSLR
First Solar, Inc.
Solar · Quality-Growth
71.1
$177.82 · $19.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
39.3
FSLR leads
RUN
Sunrun Inc.
Solar · Quality-Growth
31.8
$7.64 · $1.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthRUN+63.2%
Strongest balance sheetFSLR0.02
Highest qualityFSLR80 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueFSLR-9%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
FSLR
stronger →← stronger
RUN
80
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
20
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
90
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
33
FSLR is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
FSLR
RUN
$1.5bC+
FCF
-$202mF
+23.8%A-
Rev
+63.2%A
0.02A-
D/E
2.93D
11.0xA
P/E
—
0.33A
PEG
—
—
P/S
0.5xA
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
FSLR
RUN
9% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~12%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
-14%
1-yr DCF upside
—
+9%
5-yr DCF upside
—
+51%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
FSLR
Why this score
Cyclical growth
RUN
Why this score
Diluting shareholders
Cyclical growth
The companies
FSLRFirst Solar, Inc.
Solar · $177.82 · beta 1.79
Why now
Solar · market cap $19.1b. Down 45% from 52-week high of $320.95 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +24%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.33 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 30 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $274.47 (implying +54% upside).
Moat
Net margin 32% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 17% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Down 45% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 1.79 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
RUNSunrun Inc.
Solar · $7.64 · beta 2.44
Why now
Solar · market cap $1.8b. Down 66% from 52-week high of $22.44 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +63% — in hypergrowth territory. 18 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $15.03 (implying +97% upside).
Moat
ROE 12% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
D/E 2.93 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Free cash flow is negative (-$202m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Down 66% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
FSLR leads RUN by 40.4 points (70.8 to 30.4), its sharpest advantage coming in D/E (grade A-). A contrarian could still prefer RUN for its stronger Rev (grade A). Note they play different roles — FSLR screens as value, RUN screens as spec — so the model rewards different traits for each.
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where FSLR and RUN diverge
On the headline score the gap is 39.3 points in favor of FSLR. The widest single difference is Quality, where FSLR leads by 60.3 points.
QualityFSLR 80.1 · RUN 19.8FSLR +60.3
ValueFSLR 89.5 · RUN 32.5FSLR +57.0
GrowthFSLR 50.0 · RUN 50.0level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is FSLR or RUN the better stock?
FSLR scores higher: FSLR 71.1, RUN 31.8 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do FSLR and RUN differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where FSLR leads by 60 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. FSLR also leads value, while growth is effectively level between them.
How are FSLR and RUN scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.