Universal Display Co. (NASDAQ:OLED) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Universal Display Co. (NASDAQ:OLED - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $215.63.

OLED has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Universal Display from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Universal Display from $240.00 to $220.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Universal Display from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Universal Display from $189.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Universal Display from $242.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st.

Insider Activity at Universal Display

In other Universal Display news, Director Lawrence Lacerte purchased 742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $180.89 per share, with a total value of $134,220.38. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 122,372 shares in the company, valued at $22,135,871.08. The trade was a 0.61 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Display

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of OLED. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in Universal Display by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 1,895,017 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $398,427,000 after purchasing an additional 7,435 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Universal Display by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,352 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $167,825,000 after buying an additional 15,015 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Universal Display in the second quarter valued at $127,668,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Universal Display by 27.2% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 507,440 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $101,914,000 after acquiring an additional 108,394 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Universal Display by 27.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 469,570 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $98,725,000 after acquiring an additional 100,809 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.19% of the company's stock.

Universal Display Price Performance

Shares of Universal Display stock traded up $1.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $168.41. 449,720 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 562,851. Universal Display has a 1 year low of $148.75 and a 1 year high of $237.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $195.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.43.

Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.21. Universal Display had a net margin of 36.98% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $161.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $165.28 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Display will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Display Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 17th. Universal Display's payout ratio is currently 32.13%.

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.