Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.3333.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research cut Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday.

Key Photronics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Photronics reported weaker-than-expected Q2 earnings and revenue, prompting a sharp selloff. Photronics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 guidance also missed consensus, signaling near-term pressure on demand and margins. Why Is Photronics Stock Falling Friday?
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced investigations into possible securities-law violations, creating an additional headline risk for shareholders. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Photronics, Inc. (PLAB) Announced

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Photronics news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 355,850 shares in the company, valued at $16,340,632. This represents a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the company’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 owned 136,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,991,612. The trade was a 23.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759. 3.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 32.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 823,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $33,289,000 after purchasing an additional 202,040 shares during the last quarter. Amundi bought a new position in Photronics in the first quarter valued at about $265,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Photronics by 23.8% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 69,484 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,808,000 after purchasing an additional 13,337 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Photronics by 1.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 290,142 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $11,725,000 after purchasing an additional 4,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Photronics by 7.7% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 27,512 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968 shares during the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Photronics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $32.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 1.51. Photronics has a 1 year low of $16.59 and a 1 year high of $56.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.16.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $209.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.47 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.69% and a net margin of 18.47%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Photronics will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.