Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Shares Up 8.6% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) traded up 8.6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $39.32 and last traded at $39.4730. 234,352 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 1,135,629 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on PLAB shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock. Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.33.

Photronics Trading Up 6.0%

The firm has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.46 and a beta of 1.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $35.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.45.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Han Kyung Park sold 6,250 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.89, for a total value of $218,062.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 75,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,634,195. The trade was a 7.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell G. Tyson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.21, for a total transaction of $176,050.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 43,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,036.79. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 78,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,694,425. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 30.1% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 219,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,553,000 after purchasing an additional 50,707 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Photronics by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,647 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $761,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Photronics by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 96,752 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after buying an additional 12,159 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Photronics by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 62,441 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 3,526 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Photronics by 1.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,888,042 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,555,000 after acquiring an additional 26,507 shares during the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.