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

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) has received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.3333.

Several research firms have issued reports on PLAB. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th.

Photronics Stock Performance

PLAB stock opened at $49.48 on Tuesday. Photronics has a one year low of $16.59 and a one year high of $52.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 21.06 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $41.11 and a 200-day moving average of $33.80.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Photronics will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Photronics

In related news, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total transaction of $2,267,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.92, for a total transaction of $918,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 355,850 shares in the company, valued at $16,340,632. The trade was a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Photronics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after acquiring an additional 370,489 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Photronics by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $55,361,000 after purchasing an additional 106,069 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Photronics by 699.0% during 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% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Photronics during 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.