Universal Display Announces 4Q, Full Year 2012 Financial Results

Universal Display Corporation announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2012. For the full year of 2012, the company reported revenues of $83.2 million, up 36% compared to revenues of $61.3 million for 2011.

Operating income rose to $13.7 million for the year, up 141% from $5.7 million in 2011. The company reported net income of $9.7 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, for the full year of 2012, compared to net income of $3.2 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, for 2011.

“Universal Display Corporation reported a second consecutive profitable year on the strength of a solid finish to 2012,” said Sidney D. Rosenblatt, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Universal Display. “As we continue to grow, we are building a business that we believe can deliver strong gross margins, produce high operating leverage and generate strong cash flow. Our goal is to solidify and extend our market leadership to capitalize on the growth of the OLED market. With our strong financial position, industry-leading technology, and extensive relationships throughout the industry, we are very excited about the competitive advantages we believe we have established and our expectation that we will be able to use these resources to bring OLED technology into the lives of the global community.”

Material sales for 2012 were $44.5 million, up 19% compared to $37.4 million for 2011. Royalty and license fees for 2012 were $31.7 million, up 107% compared to $15.3 million for 2011 as a result of the licensing agreement with Samsung Display Corporation (SDC, and formerly Samsung Mobile Display) being in place for the full year. Technology development and support revenue was $7.1 million for 2012, down 17% compared to $8.5 million for 2011.

Cash provided by operating activities was $17.8 million in 2012, compared to $16.4 million in 2011, primarily due to an improvement in net income. The company’s balance sheet remained strong at Dec. 31, 2012, with cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $243.9 million, which reflects the $109.1 million used this year to purchase Fujifilm’s worldwide patent portfolio of more than 1,200 OLED patents and patent applications. During the fourth quarter of 2012, the company used $5.2 million of its $50 million authorization to repurchase approximately 206,000 of its shares.

For the fourth quarter of 2012, the company reported revenues of $28.1 million and operating income of $8.4 million, increases of 51% and 135%, respectively, over fourth quarter 2011 revenues of $18.7 million and operating income of $3.6 million. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $5.4 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, compared to net income of $5.7 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2011. Fourth quarter 2011 net income and earnings per share reflect a net tax benefit of approximately $2.7 million as a result of the sale of state-related net operating losses and tax credits, whereas there were no similar benefits in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Royalty and license fees in the fourth quarter of 2012 were $15.4 million, up 184% compared to $5.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 primarily due to increased revenue under the licensing agreement with SDC. Material sales were $10.1 million for the 2012 quarter, down 7% compared to $10.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2011. Total operating expenses for the fourth quarter increased $4.7 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, with $3.6 million of the increase attributable to higher patent costs and amortization of acquired technology as a result of the Fujifilm patent portfolio acquisition.

“For nearly 20 years, Universal Display has championed OLED technology as a better performing, more efficient alternative to existing display and lighting technology,” Mr. Rosenblatt concluded. “Consequently, we are extremely pleased with the excitement created by the OLED displays currently in the market, and the increase in new OLED product development that has been encouraged by these initial successes. Beyond today’s focus on materials and technology for both large and small format displays, we are working on new generations of products that we believe have the potential to significantly increase our total addressable market, such as encapsulation and solution-based technology. Over the past year, through the acquisition of OLED patent portfolios, new partnerships with companies both domestically and in South Korea, and the expansion of our facilities, we have been making the investments that we anticipate will enable us to remain at the forefront of an industry that we believe is only now entering the early stages of a period of significant growth.”

The company’s arrangement with SDC provides a substantial amount of visibility into its potential future financial performance. Although the OLED industry is still at a stage where many variables can have a material effect on growth, in an effort to increase our transparency, Universal Display is providing the following financial guidance. Again with the caveat that the OLED industry is still in an early stage, the company believes that its revenues will be in the range of $110 million to $125 million for fiscal 2013.