Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) has received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on PLAB shares. Zacks Research upgraded Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Craig Hallum boosted their price target on shares of Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Photronics Trading Down 4.0%

Photronics stock opened at $34.72 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.02. Photronics has a 12 month low of $16.46 and a 12 month high of $39.80. The company has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 1.52.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.06%.The business had revenue of $215.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.54 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Photronics will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Han Kyung Park sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 75,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,634,195. The trade was a 7.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mitchell G. Tyson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.21, for a total value of $176,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,521,036.79. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 181,250 shares of company stock worth $6,317,150. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Photronics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Photronics by 17.2% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,106,000 after acquiring an additional 383,355 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Photronics by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $55,361,000 after acquiring an additional 106,069 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Photronics by 699.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $52,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Photronics by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,888,042 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,555,000 after purchasing an additional 26,507 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Photronics by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 837,442 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $19,331,000 after purchasing an additional 10,724 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.