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:
Samsung Electronics reports its Q1 2021 results
Samsung Electronics reported its financial results for Q1 2021. The company's revenues was 65.4 trillion Won (around $58.7 billion USD). Operating profit increased 4% from the past quarter to $8.4 billion, as Samsung enjoyed strong sales of phones and consumer electronics, which offset slower sales of displays and semiconductors.
The past quarter saw a fall in the revenues of Samsung's display business, due to weak seasonality of mobile products and a shortage of chips.Compared to Q1 2020, however, earnings improved due to increased adoption of OLED displays in smartphones.
LG Display reports solid Q1 2021 results, will decide on OLED TV capacity expansion by Q3 2021
LG Display announced its financial results for Q1 2021. The company reported sales of $6.2 billion, an operating income of $469.5 million and net profit of $238 million. Sales were lower (by 8%) compared to Q4 2020, but higher by 46% from Q4 2020. LGD remained profitable for the third consecutive quarter.
LG Display announced its financial results for Q1 2021. The company reported sales of $6.2 billow, an operating income of $469.5 million and net profit of $238 million. Sales were lower (by 8%) compared to Q4 2020, but higher by 46% from Q4 2020. LGD remained profitable for the third consecutive quarter.
Wise Road Capital acquires Magnachip for $1.4 billion
OLED driver IC developer MagnaChip announced that it is being acquired by China-based Wise Road Capital, for $1.4 billion. This price is about 75% higher than Magnachip's three-month average share price. The deal still needs regulatory approval in the United States.
In recent years Magnachip reported increased AMOLED driver sales and accelerated its driver R&D. Last month the company announced that it has started to mass produce its first OLED driver ICs for 120Hz QHD smartphone flexible OLED displays.
eMagin reports its financial results for Q4 2020
OLED microdisplay maker eMagin posted its financial results for Q4 2020. Revenues for the quarter were $7.7 million (up from $7.3 million in Q3 2019) with contract revenue of $1.5 million reflecting continued work for a Tier-1 consumer company.
Net loss for Q4 2020 was $3.7 million. For the full year 2020, eMagin reports revenues of $29.4 million, up from $26.7 million in 2019. The net loss in 2020 was $11.5 million.
Visionox spins-off its PMOLED business to a new company called Qingyue
China-based OLED maker Visionox has spun-off its PMOLED business, to create a new company called Qingyue. Visionox will now focus on AMOLED production (after having spun-off its OLED lighting unit Yeolight back in 2015).
Qingyue, which is one of the world's leading PMOLED makers, has two 370x400 mm production lines, each with a capacity of 8,000 monthly substrates (around 1.75 million 1” displays).
UDC reports excellent Q4 2020 and full-year financial results
Universal Display reported its financial results for Q4 2020. Revenues reached a record of $141.5 million, and net income was $54 million. For the whole of 2020, revenues reached $429 million and net income was $133 million.
UDC expects meaningful growth in 2021, and believe revenues will be in the range of $530 to $560 million. The company also announced an increase to its quarterly dividend (to $0.2 per share).
Magnachip reports record quarterly OLED DDIC revenues in Q4 2020
OLED driver IC developer MagnaChip announced its financial results for Q4 2020, with revenues of $142.9 million and 2020 full-year revenues of $507.1 million. The company says its quarterly revenues reached a record high of $80.4 million - a 19% increase from Q3 2020 and a 19.4% increase from Q4 2019.Full-year OLED revenue of $284.6 million increased 6.5% from 2019.
Last year MagnaChip said it has a total of 16 OLED display drivers, almost double the number of drivers it had in its portfolio in Q1 2019. The company has started to develop OLED drivers for automotive products, which the company expects to to into production in the first half of 2021.
EDO progresses towards its IPO, will use the funds to construct a new 6-Gen AMOLED fab
Earlier this month we reported that China-based AMOLED producer EverDisplay (EDO) has become a public company. We have been a bit early, but the company is progressing on its IPO registration and has released some more information regarding is business.
The company is raising 10 billion Yuan ($1.5 billion USD) and most of these funds will be used to construct the company's new 6-Gen AMOLED line. As you can see in the image above, almost all the company's OLED panels are used in smartphones and wearables. But in 2020 the company also started to produce laptop and tablet displays - EDO recently started to make 11", 12.8" and 15.6" rigid and foldable AMOLED displays for laptop devices. We list many EDO OLED displays in the OLED Marketplace.
Everdisplay goes public and is now listed at the Shanghai Stock Exchange Star Market
AMOLED producer China-based EverDisplay (EDO) has become a public company and it is now listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Star Market. The company also released its financial results for the past few years.
The company increased its sales in recent years, rising from 600 million Yuan in 2017 to 800 million in 2018, 1.5 billion in 2019 and 900 million in H1 2020. EDO still suffers from losses, though, and in the first half of 2020 a net loss of 500 million Yuan.
Visionox reports good financial result for 2020, may receive large OLED orders from Huawei and Honor
China-based OLED maker Visionox reported good preliminary financial results for 2020, with increased sales and improved revenues and profits. The company expects its net profit to be around 141-210 million Yuan ($21-31 million USD), which will represent an increase of 120-227% over 2019.
The company says that its ability to innovate OLED technologies (specially the world's first OLED with an under-the-screen camera and the world's first 144Hz refresh rate OLED) enabled the company to increase its customer base and in 2020 it has added OPPO and Motorola as customers.
