Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Takes Position in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management purchased a new position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 23,408 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $749,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Photronics by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 17,176 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 3,542 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 66.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,296 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 5,714 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Photronics during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Photronics by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morningstar Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Photronics during the third quarter worth about $1,649,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Photronics

In related news, SVP Han Kyung Park sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.89, for a total transaction of $218,062.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 75,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,634,195. The trade was a 7.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.00, for a total value of $390,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 385,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,048,150. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,992,850. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research cut shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $46.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Photronics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.33.

Photronics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PLAB opened at $40.85 on Friday. Photronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.46 and a fifty-two week high of $45.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.65. The stock has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.38 and a beta of 1.43.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Photronics’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Photronics 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.