First Solar, Inc. (FSLR), Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Intel Corporation (INTC): Dow (.DJI) Keeps On Keeping On

One other sector flying high today was solar as First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) jumped 46% after acquiring TetraSun, a Silicon Valley start-up, and providing an outlook way above Wall Street’s estimates. The TetraSun acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, gives First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) access to the higher-efficiency solar-panel market that its own panels are not suited for. The company also estimated EPS for the year to come in between $4 and $4.50, while Wall Street had projected just $3.51. The rally led other solar stocks up as well, as Yingli Green Energy finished up 21% and Trina Solar gained 15%.

On the other side of the spectrum, J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP) dropped 12% as investors reacted to Ron Johnson’s dismissal and replacement with Mike Ullman, the retailer’s former CEO. Johnson’s termination marks the end of a misadventure that included a new shops-within-the-shop strategy as well as the elimination of discounts that caused sales to drop by more than 25% last year. First-quarter same-store sales are also down 10% at Penney so far, according to The Wall Street Journal, indicating that the pain is far from over. What Mike Ullman’s plans for the department-store chain are remain to be seen.

The article Dow Keeps On Keeping On originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Jeremy Bowman.

Fool contributor Jeremy Bowman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Intel and owns shares of Intel and Microsoft.

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