OLED is a display technology that enables thin, efficient, flexible and bright displays, TVs and lighting devices. OLED displays offer the world's best image quality - and enables future foldable and rollable displays (see more here - What is OLED?).
The OLED market is already a multi-billion dollar market, led by Samsung and LG Display with their smartphone and TV OLED businesses. It is estimated that OLED displays generated around $25 billion in revenues in 2018 (and analysts expect the market to continue its fast growth in the future).
OLED stocks
There are dozens of companies developing and producing OLEDs, from display makers such as Samsung, LG and BOE to smaller R&D startups and IP companies.
For public investors interested in the OLED market, there are several good options:
- Universal Display Corporation: UDC is an OLED pioneer, and holds many of the key patents in the industry (mostly around efficient phosphorescent OLED emitters). Virtually all AMOLED displays on the market adopt UDC's PHOLED materials, and the company experienced very fast growth in revenue in recent years. Universal Display's stock ticker is OLED, you can see the OLED share price here.
- eMagin: eMagin is an OLED microdisplay pioneer, and has been developing and producing such displays for many years, focusing on the defense market and recently also on the consumer VR/AR market. eMagin's stock ticker is EMAN.
- OLED display makers: OLED display makers can be a good investment opportunity - especially companies that have a focus on OLED displays - such as Samsung Display and LG display, BOE Display and more.
- OLED equipment makers: There are several public equipment companies (for example Coherent and Applied Materials) that enjoyed the recent OLED capacity expansion as new OLED fabs require new equipment to produce OLED displays. These companies could be a good investment opportunity to investors who believes a new wave of OLED capacity expansion is near.
For private investors who want to find early-stage startups, we offer the OLED crowdfunding arena, a new and innovative service!
We'll be happy to hear your thoughts on OLED investing - join the discussion at our investment forum!
The latest OLED stock news:
Is UDC getting ready to commercialize its plasmon OLED technology?
A couple of months ago we reported that researchers at UDC developed an OLED device with plasmonic decay rate enhancement that dramatically increase device stability. It turns out that UDC filed for two new trademark applications that seem to hint it is aiming to commercialize this technology.
The two trademarks at PLASMON PHOLED and PLASMONLED, which both of course indicate that these are emitters that adopt plasmon technology.
eMagin reports its financial results for Q3 2020
OLED microdisplay maker eMagin posted its financial results for Q3 2020. While the company had a strong quarter in its main military market, but eMagin total sales were lower than expected as the medical and commercial markets were effected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
eMagin reports revenues of $7.3 million, a decline of $0.6 million from Q3 2019. Net loss for the third quarter of 2020 was $3.5 million compared to a loss of $0.3 million in 2019. At the end of the quarter, eMagin had cash and equivalents worth $10.3 million. The company's backlog at the end of the quarter was $10 million.
Universal Display reports its financial results for Q3 2020
Universal Display reported its Q3 2020 financial results, with revenues of $117 million (up from $58 million in Q2 2020 and $98 million in Q3 2019, and a net income of $40.5 million. UDC ended the quarter with with $673 million in cash and equivalents
UDC reports a significant pickup in customer orders in the third quarter, and the company expects full-year 2020 revenues to be in the range of $385 million to $400 million. UDC sees meaningful growth in the OLED industry in 2021 and beyond.
Visionox moves closer to profits as demand for its OLED displays increases
China-based OLED maker Visionox posted its Q3 2020 financial results, with a net loss of $17.7 million, down from $35 million in Q3 2019. Demand for Visionox's AMOLED displays is on the rise, while demand for LCD displays (which Visionox does not produce) is down in China.
In the video above you can see Visionox's latest foldable, wrap-around, rollable and flexible panels, in several configurations, as shown at SID Displayweek 2020. Visionox recently started shipping OLED displays with an under-the-display camera.
LGD reports a profitable quarter for the first time since 2018 as OLED sales grow
LG Display reported its financial results for Q3 2020, with a net profit (of $9.8 million) - which was the company's first profitable quarter since 2018. Revenues in the quarter were $5.9 billion, up 27% from the previous quarter and up 16% from Q3 2019.
LG Display says that its turnaround was due to increased demand for IT displays and OLED displays - both OLED TV panels and flexible OLEDs for smartphones. Profitability was also assisted by the mass production that finally began at LGD's new OLED TV fab in Guangzhou. Next year LGD says it aims to ship over 7 million OLED TV panels.
OLED material producer Jilin OLED raises $166 in an IPO
China's Jilin Optical and Electronic Materials is now a public company, as it starts trading on the Shanghai STAR Market (ticker 688378). The company raised 1.14 billion Yuan (US$166 million), and the IPO was 3,426 times oversubscribed.
Jilin Optical and Electronic Materials was established in 2005. The company develops and produces a range of OLED materials, including hole injection materials, hole transport materials, light-emitting layer materials and electron transport materials. In 2019 it Jilin etablished a $85 million OLED Material R&D center in China.
Visionox profits decreased sharply as AMOLED prices drop in June
China-based OLED maker Visionox posted its H1 2020 financial results - with a net profit that dropped 47.3% (from H1 2019) to $13.4 million. This result was actually boosted by the sale of some assets, without which the company would have posted losses of $77 million.
Visionox revenues actually increased 4.5% to $173.8 million, but the company's profit margin was much lower as price of rigid OLED displays dropped 27% in June compared to last year. The price of flexible OLEDs was also down by 11%.
eMagin reports its financial results for Q2 2020
OLED microdisplay maker eMagin announced reported its financial results for Q2 2020. Revenues reached $7.7 million, an increase of 44% from Q2 2019. Operating loss was $1.3 million (down from $2.8 million in Q2 2019).
eMagin says it continues to see strong demand for its microdisplays in the military market, and also in the medical market. At the end of the quarter eMagin's backlog was $13.3 million of products to be shipped in the next 12 months. Cash and equivalents at the end of the quarter were $11.5 million.
UDC reports its Q2 2020 financial results, sees lower revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Universal Display reported its financial results for Q2 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact UDC, as customer orders and shipments declined. UDC reports $58 million in revenues (down from $112 million in Q1 2020 and $118 million in Q2 2020) and a net income of $800,000. Part of the reason for the revenue drop were two orders made in Q1 (worth $44 million) as safety-stock due to the trade concerns and COVID-19 uncertainties.
While the second quarter was very disappointing for UDC, the company reports that demand has picked up in July (the first month of Q3) as customer orders increased. There are still "significant uncertainties" ahead and the company will not provide any guidance until visibility improves.
AMS is shipping very high volumes of behind-the-OLED sensors, is developing new sensors
In January 2019 Austria-based Sensor developer AMS announced a new RGB light and proximity sensor IC that can be placed behind an OLED screen, and still accurately measure the intensity of ambient light. Later in 2019, AMS said that the new sensor is a "resounding market success".
In its latest conference call, AMS management said that its behind-the-OLED light and proximity sensing is continuing their adoption in major Android platforms. The company is now shipping very high volumes of sensing solutions. The company is now developing more behind-the-OLED technologies with significant R&D activities.