Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 1,935,208 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 72% from the previous session’s volume of 1,125,453 shares.The stock last traded at $32.2750 and had previously closed at $34.02.

Key Stories Impacting Photronics

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Photronics Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $46.21 and a 200-day moving average of $37.16. The firm has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 1.51.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its quarterly 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 7.69% and a net margin of 18.47%.The company had revenue of $209.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.47 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.40 EPS. The company’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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Photronics news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 355,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,340,632. The trade was 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 accessible through this link. Also, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,991,612. This represents a 23.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Photronics by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after purchasing an additional 370,489 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Photronics by 4.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $55,361,000 after purchasing an additional 106,069 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Photronics by 699.0% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Photronics by 395.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $49,164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in Photronics in the first quarter worth $47,902,000. Hedge funds and other 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.