We've been highlighting a number of stocks to watch around earnings this week, like First Solar (FSLR) and Chesapeake Energy (CHK). Our attention now turns to the tech sector where Apple supplier Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:OLED) is preparing to report earnings after the close on Thursday, Feb. 22. Not only has OLED stock been strong immediately after earnings in recent quarters, but it recently pulled back from its all-time high to bounce from a crucial technical level.
To be more specific, shares of the OLED technology provider notched a record high of $209 back on Jan. 19, only to quickly retreat from this level amid the broad-market pullback; less than a month later the equity was trading near $140. However, this area was home to the 200-day moving average, one of Wall Street's favorite technical indicators, and the stock took a strong bounce from this level.
Only a few days later the shares gapped higher on news of a licensing deal with Samsung. And even though Universal Display is trading 2.4% lower today at $157.30, it remains up 120% over the past year.
As alluded to earlier, earnings could provide another upside catalyst. For example, the stock has jumped in the session immediately following three of the past four earnings releases, including a 20.1% surge last February. Overall, the options market is pricing in a swing of 15.6% for Friday's session, per at-the-money implied volatility data. While this may seem like an elevated number, speculators should note that OLED's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) comes in at 87 -- showing it has regularly exceeded options traders' volatility expectations over the past year.