Legato Capital Management LLC Sells 24,307 Shares of Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Legato Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) by 76.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,485 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 24,307 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Photronics were worth $240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. LSV Asset Management increased its position in Photronics by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $92,271,000 after buying an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Photronics by 723.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Photronics during the 4th quarter valued at $279,000. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its stake in Photronics by 221.5% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 84,120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 57,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Photronics by 7,559.0% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,659 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 7,559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Trading Down 36.4%

Shares of PLAB stock opened at $34.02 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $46.27 and its 200 day moving average is $37.20. Photronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.59 and a 12 month high of $56.00.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.11). Photronics had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 15.83%.The firm had revenue of $209.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $216.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Eric Rivera sold 1,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.77, for a total transaction of $44,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,096,465.21. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 shares were sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total transaction of $872,025.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 113,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,144,268. This trade represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

More Photronics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: No major positive company-specific catalysts were reported in the last 24-36 hours.
• Neutral Sentiment: Photronics reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 results and said it remains a leader in photomask technologies and solutions. Photronics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 earnings missed expectations, with EPS of $0.42 versus $0.53 expected and revenue of $209.9 million versus $216.5 million expected, signaling weaker-than-anticipated performance. Photronics earnings report and conference call
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s Q3 guidance also came in below consensus, with EPS guidance of $0.39-$0.45 versus $0.53 expected and revenue guidance of $207 million-$215 million versus $218.7 million expected, raising concerns about near-term growth. Ongoing Photronics, Inc. (PLAB) Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced investigations into possible securities law violations after the weak results and stock drop, adding legal overhang and investor uncertainty. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Photronics, Inc. (PLAB) Announced

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on PLAB. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Photronics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.33.

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.