Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.3333.

PLAB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research lowered Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th.

Photronics Stock Performance

PLAB stock opened at $30.69 on Wednesday. Photronics has a 1-year low of $18.61 and a 1-year high of $56.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $42.25 and its 200-day moving average is $38.56.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $209.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.47 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.69% and a net margin of 18.47%.The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.92, for a total transaction of $918,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 355,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,340,632. This trade represents a 5.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $1,826,748.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,173 shares in the company, valued at $5,991,612. The trade was a 23.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 326,144 shares of company stock worth $14,313,759 over the last 90 days. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Photronics by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after purchasing an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Photronics by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $55,361,000 after purchasing an additional 106,069 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 395.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,164,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,902,000. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Company Profile

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.