Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $51.05 and last traded at $50.07, with a volume of 868733 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PLAB shares. Zacks Research upgraded Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Lake Street Capital started coverage on Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.33.

Photronics Trading Up 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.69 and a 200 day moving average of $32.61.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 15.83%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Photronics

In related news, CAO Rui Zhang sold 4,556 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.70, for a total transaction of $212,765.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,264,589.30. This trade represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total value of $872,025.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,560 shares in the company, valued at $5,144,268. The trade was a 14.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759 in the last three months. 3.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 323.1% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 50,036 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 38,209 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 201.3% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 62,556 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 41,791 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Photronics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $864,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 699.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $52,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017,052 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $55,361,000 after purchasing an additional 106,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

About Photronics

Photronics, Inc is a leading global supplier of photomask products used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, flat panel displays, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and advanced packaging applications. Photomasks, also known as reticles, are critical templates that carry the precise circuit patterns required for semiconductor lithography processes. The company offers a comprehensive range of mask solutions, including binary masks, attenuated phase-shift masks, reticles for micro-optics, and specialized products for high‐resolution applications.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Brookfield, Connecticut, Photronics has grown through organic expansion and strategic investments in high‐end lithography technology.