Yahoo Finance Universal Display Corp (OLED) (Q1 2024) Earnings Call Transcript Highlights: Strong Growth and ...
Revenue: Q1 2024: $165 million, up 27% from $130 million in Q1 2023.
Operating Profit: Q1 2024: $63 million.
Net Income: Q1 2024: $57 million, up from $40 million in Q1 2023.
Earnings Per Share (EPS): Q1 2024: $1.19 per diluted share, up from $0.83 in Q1 2023.
Annual Revenue Guidance: Updated to $635 million to $675 million for 2024.
Gross Margin: Q1 2024: 78%, improved from 75% in Q1 2023.
Operating Expenses: Q1 2024: $65 million, increased from $52 million in Q1 2023.
Operating Margin: Q1 2024: 38%, up from 35% in Q1 2023.
Material Sales: Q1 2024: $93 million, up from $70 million in Q1 2023.
Green Emitter Sales: Q1 2024: $71 million, up from $54 million in Q1 2023.
Red Emitter Sales: Q1 2024: $21 million, up from $16 million in Q1 2023.
Royalty and License Fees: Q1 2024: $68 million, up from $55 million in Q1 2023.
Dividend: Quarterly dividend approved at $0.40, payable on June 28, 2024.
Cash Position: Ended Q1 2024 with $838 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments.
Release Date: May 02, 2024
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
Universal Display Corp (NASDAQ:OLED) reported strong first quarter results with revenue of $165 million, operating profit of $63 million, and net income of $57 million, or $1.19 per diluted share.
The company raised the lower end of its annual guidance, now expecting 2024 revenues to be in the range of $635 million to $675 million, indicating confidence in continued strong performance.
Significant growth is anticipated in the OLED market, with OLED tablets expected to increase threefold and OLED notebook units expected to grow by 50% year-over-year.
New OLED capacity developments are underway, including Samsung Display's commencement of the world's first Gen 8.6 OLED IT production line, supporting long-term growth in the OLED sector.
Universal Display Corp (NASDAQ:OLED) continues to innovate, with advancements in phosphorescent blue emissive systems and organic vapor jet printing technology, enhancing their product offerings and market competitiveness.
Negative Points
Despite strong quarterly performance, there are concerns about the variability of material buying patterns which can affect quarterly results.
Increased operating expenses, which rose to $65 million from $52 million year-over-year due to higher employee and amortization costs, could pressure profit margins if not managed effectively.
The company faces significant competition and market pressure to continuously innovate and maintain its leadership in the OLED industry.
Universal Display Corp (NASDAQ:OLED) is heavily reliant on the performance and expansion of the OLED market, making it vulnerable to industry-specific downturns.
There is uncertainty in pricing and adoption rates for the newly developed blue OLED technology, which could affect future revenue streams and market positioning.
Q & A Highlights
Q: Can blue be as big as green in terms of overall revenue opportunity for OLED materials, and how should we expect the revenue ramp from 2024 going forward? A: (Brian Millard, VP, CFO & Treasurer) - The quantity of green material in a display is similar to the quantity of blue. While the revenue potential for blue is significant, exact pricing with customers has not been set yet. The adoption curve will depend on customer uptake, which is expected to be strong given the market interest.
Q: What has been the customer feedback regarding the blue OLED materials in terms of performance improvements like energy efficiency? A: (Brian Millard, VP, CFO & Treasurer) - Customers have recognized the benefits of phosphorescent blue in enhancing energy efficiency by approximately 25%. Universal Display has been actively sampling these materials, and development sales are expected to increase in 2024.
Q: Can you provide insights into the expected seasonality of revenue distribution across 2024? A: (Brian Millard, VP, CFO & Treasurer) - Unlike previous years where the second half usually saw higher revenues, 2024 is expected to have a balanced distribution between the first and second halves of the year based on current forecasts.
Q: How much of the Q1 revenue increase is attributed to new capacity or yield issues from your biggest customer, and is there a tandem structure effect for this customer? A: (Brian Millard, VP, CFO & Treasurer) - The increase in material sales in Q1 was significant, particularly due to higher sales to the largest customer. Some of the new IT products have tandem structures, but specific details on production or yield issues were not disclosed.
Q: What factors contributed to the increase in R&D expenses seen in Q1? A: (Brian Millard, VP, CFO & Treasurer) - The rise in R&D expenses is due to ongoing investments in new material development and higher employee-related costs. There were also increased development expenses with external parties.
Q: What are the expectations for the phosphorescent blue material's commercial introduction? A: (Brian Millard, VP, CFO & Treasurer) - Universal Display continues to make progress and remains on track to introduce a commercially viable phosphorescent blue material in 2024. Development sales of blue materials are increasing, indicating positive progress.
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
