Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Trading Down 5.1% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) fell 5.1% on Thursday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $41.30 and last traded at $41.0450. 200,605 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 1,145,648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.26.

Specifically, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.00, for a total transaction of $390,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 385,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,048,150. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.80, for a total value of $358,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 400,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,350,430. The trade was a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PLAB has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.33.

Photronics Stock Down 0.4%

The company has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.99.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.07. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 15.83%.The business had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AlphaQuest LLC increased 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 worth $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 38,209 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Photronics by 201.3% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 62,556 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 41,791 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in Photronics by 2.9% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 826,718 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $15,706,000 after purchasing an additional 23,037 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Photronics during the third quarter valued at about $864,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Photronics by 699.0% during the third 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. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.