Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold”

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on PLAB. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, May 1st. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.33.

Photronics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $52.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.37 and its 200-day moving average is $35.40. Photronics has a 52 week low of $16.59 and a 52 week high of $56.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Photronics

In related news, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total transaction of $1,826,748.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,991,612. This represents a 23.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Macricostas sold 121,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.94, for a total transaction of $5,204,070.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 334,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,344,879.92. This represents a 26.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PLAB. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,226,588 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Photronics during the first quarter worth $47,902,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Photronics by 2,201.5% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 621,448 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $19,883,000 after buying an additional 594,446 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in Photronics by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after buying an additional 370,489 shares during the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.