Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:OLED) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": Five analysts average a "Hold" on Universal Display (3 holds, 2 buys) with a 1-year price target of about $151.67.
• Earnings beat: Universal Display reported $1.39 EPS vs. $1.28 expected and revenue of $172.93M (slightly below forecasts) with revenue up 6.5% year‑over‑year; analysts forecast about $4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Dividend and valuation: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.50 ($2.00 annual, ~2.2% yield) with a 39.45% payout ratio; market cap is ~$4.29B and the P/E is ~17.98, with ~78% institutional ownership.

Shares of Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:OLED - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $151.6667.

OLED has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Universal Display in a report on Friday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Universal Display from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Universal Display from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Display from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Universal Display in a report on Monday, March 23rd.

Universal Display Stock Up 0.2%

Universal Display stock opened at $91.14 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $105.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.51. Universal Display has a 12 month low of $86.43 and a 12 month high of $163.21. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a P/E/G ratio of 7.26 and a beta of 1.65.

Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.11. Universal Display had a net margin of 37.21% and a return on equity of 14.07%. The business had revenue of $172.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $173.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. Universal Display's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Display will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Display Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Universal Display's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Universal Display's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Display

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Display by 309.8% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 209 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Universal Display in the third quarter worth $33,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Universal Display in the third quarter worth $37,000. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Display by 53.3% in the third quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Display by 27.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 78.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Display

Universal Display Corporation NASDAQ: OLED is a technology company specializing in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) solutions. The company develops and commercializes materials, technologies and software used in the creation of OLED displays and lighting. Its offerings include proprietary phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) materials, display driver integrated circuits and process technologies that enable higher efficiency, longer lifetimes and improved color performance for a range of display and lighting applications.

Universal Display's core business is licensing its extensive OLED patent portfolio to display manufacturers and providing them with the key organic materials needed for device fabrication.

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