Insider Selling: Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) COO Sells $872,025.00 in Stock

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total transaction of $872,025.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,560 shares in the company, valued at $5,144,268. This trade represents a 14.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Hsueh-Chun Wang also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, April 9th, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 11,875 shares of Photronics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.25, for a total transaction of $525,468.75.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.69, for a total transaction of $426,900.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total transaction of $420,800.00.

Photronics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $48.38 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $38.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.08. Photronics, Inc. has a one year low of $16.59 and a one year high of $48.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 1.43.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.09 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PLAB has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, March 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Photronics has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.33.

More Photronics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and guidance — Photronics reported $0.61 EPS vs. $0.54 expected and revenue above consensus, and management set Q2 FY26 guidance of $0.49–$0.55, which improves near‑term earnings visibility and supports the rally. MarketBeat Q4 and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and valuation narrative — Zacks upgraded PLAB to a stronger rank (strong‑buy) and other brokers have issued buy/strong‑buy notes; the stock is being viewed as attractively valued (below ~20x earnings vs. some peers), drawing buy interest. Zacks coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / screen recognition — Inclusion on Zacks’ value/strong‑buy screens and recent upward revision to consensus targets can attract momentum and institutional flows. Zacks list
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership — Roughly ~88% of the float is held by institutions; this can amplify moves when funds rebalance but also means price action is often driven by fundamentals and institutional flows rather than retail trading. Institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — Multiple insiders have sold sizable blocks in mid‑April: COO Hsueh‑Chun Wang (19,250 shares at ~$45.30), Director Kang Jyh Lee (10,000 shares at ~$45.10), CFO Eric Rivera (small recent sale plus a ~41k sale earlier), and other directors/executives. These concentrated disposals are prompting short‑term selling pressure and media scrutiny. InsiderTrades alert COO Form 4 Director Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Media/analyst focus on cash‑outs — Coverage calling out the insider cash‑outs increases volatility and could deter some investors until insiders’ reasons (liquidity, diversification) are clarified. TipRanks discussion

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Photronics in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Photronics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Photronics by 673.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Photronics by 569.8% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,353 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Photronics by 723.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares during the period. 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.