Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Friday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Universal Display from $207.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on Universal Display from $200.00 to $162.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Universal Display from $234.00 to $203.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of Universal Display from $215.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Universal Display from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Display currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.43.

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Universal Display Stock Performance

OLED stock traded down $6.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $149.65. 739,687 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 754,228. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.40. Universal Display has a 52-week low of $140.17 and a 52-week high of $237.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $148.96 and a 200-day moving average of $171.39.

Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.14. Universal Display had a return on equity of 15.51% and a net margin of 34.29%. The company had revenue of $162.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $152.75 million. Research analysts anticipate that Universal Display will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Display Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. This is a boost from Universal Display's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Universal Display's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Display

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Display by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,784,099 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $699,435,000 after buying an additional 67,590 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Display by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,536,513 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $370,838,000 after acquiring an additional 69,043 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Display by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 901,315 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $131,806,000 after acquiring an additional 101,963 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Display by 58.2% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 683,822 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $99,975,000 after acquiring an additional 251,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Display during the 4th quarter worth $95,924,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.19% of the company's stock.

About Universal Display

Universal Display Corporation engages in the research, development, and commercialization of organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies and materials for use in display and solid-state lighting applications in the United States and internationally. The company offers PHOLED technologies and materials for displays and lighting products under the UniversalPHOLED brand.