Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.3333.

Several brokerages have weighed in on PLAB. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research downgraded Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 29th.

Photronics Price Performance

NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $31.55 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $43.09 and a 200 day moving average of $38.41. The company has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 1.37. Photronics has a 1-year low of $18.55 and a 1-year high of $56.00.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.11). Photronics had a return on equity of 7.69% and a net margin of 18.47%.The firm had revenue of $209.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.47 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS.

Insider Transactions at Photronics

In other Photronics news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.92, for a total value of $918,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 355,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,340,632. The trade was a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Eric Rivera sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.77, for a total value of $44,770.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,096,465.21. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 326,144 shares of company stock valued at $14,313,759. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $92,271,000 after acquiring an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 4.6% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $55,361,000 after acquiring an additional 106,069 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 395.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,164,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Photronics during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,902,000. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

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.