Universal Display (OLED) Competitors

Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Does the media favor OLED or AMAT?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 83 more articles in the media than Universal Display. MarketBeat recorded 99 mentions for Applied Materials and 16 mentions for Universal Display. Universal Display's average media sentiment score of 1.47 beat Applied Materials' score of 1.11 indicating that Universal Display is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Universal Display	12 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Applied Materials	55 Very Positive mention(s)	8 Positive mention(s)	18 Neutral mention(s)	9 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in OLED or AMAT?

78.2% of Universal Display shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.6% of Applied Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of Universal Display shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Applied Materials shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is OLED or AMAT more profitable?

Universal Display has a net margin of 36.95% compared to Applied Materials' net margin of 24.06%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 40.15% beat Universal Display's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Universal Display	36.95%	15.82%	13.99%
Applied Materials	24.06%	40.15%	22.42%

Do analysts prefer OLED or AMAT?

Universal Display currently has a consensus target price of $190.43, suggesting a potential upside of 32.63%. Applied Materials has a consensus target price of $204.09, suggesting a potential upside of 8.42%. Given Universal Display's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Universal Display is more favorable than Applied Materials.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Universal Display	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71
Applied Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.68

Which has higher earnings and valuation, OLED or AMAT?

Applied Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Universal Display. Applied Materials is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Universal Display, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Universal Display	$647.68M	10.54	$222.08M	$5.12	28.04
Applied Materials	$27.18B	5.56	$7.18B	$8.22	22.90

Which has more risk & volatility, OLED or AMAT?

Universal Display has a beta of 1.47, suggesting that its stock price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Applied Materials has a beta of 1.7, suggesting that its stock price is 70% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is OLED or AMAT a better dividend stock?

Universal Display pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Applied Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Universal Display pays out 35.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Applied Materials pays out 22.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Universal Display has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years and Applied Materials has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years.

Summary

Applied Materials beats Universal Display on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.