Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Stock Breaks Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.89 and traded as high as $29.19. Photronics shares last traded at $28.92, with a volume of 889,417 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on PLAB. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered Photronics from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Photronics to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.33.

Photronics Trading Up 5.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $28.89 and a 200 day moving average of $35.07.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The semiconductor company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $216.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.75 million. Photronics had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 7.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.560 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Photronics, Inc. will post 1.90 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Han Park sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.37, for a total transaction of $288,515.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 66,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,004,420. This represents a 12.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kang Lee sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.70, for a total transaction of $297,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 354,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,539,045. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 37,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,114,265 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Photronics in the second quarter valued at $308,586,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Photronics in the second quarter valued at $12,374,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Photronics in the second quarter valued at $12,355,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Photronics during the 2nd quarter worth $8,843,000. Finally, Meros Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Photronics during the 2nd quarter worth $7,728,055. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Company Profile

Photronics, Inc manufactures photomasks, high-precision plates used to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat-panel displays. Its products support the production of integrated circuits and display technologies.

The company serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world, with operations across North America, Europe and Asia. Photronics traces its history to 1969, when it was established as Photronic Labs.

Photronics is headquartered in Brookfield, Connecticut.