Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat, What is your opinion of SunPower Corp.? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

SunPower Corp., symbols SPWRA $33.18 and SPWRB $28.90 on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 138.7 million; Market cap: $4.4 billion), designs and makes cells and panels that convert sunlight into electricity. The company makes its products using a proprietary technology that it believes generates more electricity per amount of sunlight than its competitors’ products. Originally formed in 1985, SunPower became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (New York symbol CY) in November 2004. In November 2005, Cypress reincorporated the company with two classes of common shares: class A (one vote per share) and class B (eight votes per share). Cypress then sold 7.7 million class A shares to the public for $17 each. On September 29, 2008, Cypress handed out its SunPower class B shares to its own shareholders. On May 4, 2009, SunPower sold 10.35 million class A shares to the public for $22 each. SunPower operates through two divisions: The components division, which generates roughly 60% of SunPower’s sales, makes solar…