Ascent Solar Technologies (NAS:ASTI) Gross Margin % Explanation
Warren Buffett believes that firms with excellent long term economics tend to have consistently higher margins.
Durable competitive advantage creates a high Gross Margin % because of the freedom to price in excess of cost. Companies can be categorized by their Gross Margin %
1. Greater than 40% = Durable competitive advantage
2. Less than 40% = Competition eroding margins
3. Less than 20% = no sustainable competitive advantage
Consistency of Gross Margin is key
Ascent Solar Technologies had a gross margin of -36.54% for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 => No sustainable competitive advantage
Be Aware
If a company loses its competitive advantages, usually its gross margin declines well before its sales declines. Watching Gross Margin % and Operating Margin % closely helps avoid value trap situations.
Ascent Solar Technologies Gross Margin % Related Terms
Ascent Solar Technologies Gross Margin % Historical Data
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Solar subindustry, Ascent Solar Technologies's Gross Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Gross Margin % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Ascent Solar Technologies Gross Margin % vs Semiconductors Industry
For the Semiconductors industry and Technology sector, Ascent Solar Technologies's Gross Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Ascent Solar Technologies's Gross Margin % falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
A positive Gross Profit is only the first step for a company to make a net profit. The gross profit needs to be big enough to also cover related labor, equipment, rental, marketing/advertising, research and development and a lot of other costs in selling the products.
Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI) has a Gross Margin % of -36.54% as of Mar. 2026. Gross margin is the ratio of total gross profit to net sales. View historical data on Ascent Solar Technologies and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Ascent Solar Technologies ranks #1005 out of 1011 companies in the Semiconductors industry, placing it in the top 99.4%.
Is Ascent Solar Technologies' Gross Margin % too high?
Ascent Solar Technologies' current Gross Margin % is -36.54%. Based on the distribution chart, Ascent Solar Technologies ranks #1005 out of 1011 companies in the Semiconductors industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Ascent Solar Technologies has a GF Score™ of 30/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Ascent Solar Technologies' Gross Margin % compare to PN and SPRU?
According to the Semiconductors industry distribution chart, Ascent Solar Technologies ranks #1005 out of 1011 companies for Gross Margin %. This places Ascent Solar Technologies in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Gross Margin % is 29.61. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Gross Margin % for a Semiconductors company?
The median Gross Margin % among Semiconductors companies is 29.61, based on 1,011 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Gross Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Gross Margin % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Gross Margin % mean?
A high Gross Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Gross margin is the ratio of total gross profit to net sales. View historical data on Ascent Solar Technologies and its competitors. For the Semiconductors industry, the median Gross Margin % is 29.61 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Ascent Solar Technologies's current Gross Margin % is -36.54%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Ascent Solar Technologies stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $0.25, compared to a current price of $5.03 — trading 1912% above its estimated fair value. The current Gross Margin % is -36.54%. Ascent Solar Technologies' overall GF Score™ is 30/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Gross Margin % calculated?
Gross Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI), the current Gross Margin % is -36.54% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Ascent Solar Technologies stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $5.03 is trading 1912% above its estimated GF Value™ of $0.25.
GuruFocus considers Ascent Solar Technologies to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for ASTI:
Gross Margin %: -36.54%
GF Value™: $0.25 vs. price of $5.03 (1912% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the ASTI stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Ascent Solar Technologies Inc is a solar technology company that manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar modules that are flexible, durable, and possess attractive power to weight and power to area performance. Its technology provides renewable power solutions to high-value production and specialty solar markets where traditional rigid solar panels are not suitable, including space power beaming, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), aquatic, terrestrial, and other weight-sensitive markets with transformational high quality, value added product applications. It operates in single PV segment that sells PV products and engineering services and currently, is selling it in North America.
30GF Score
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