Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on PLAB. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.50.

Photronics Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $33.55 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.91. Photronics has a 1-year low of $16.46 and a 1-year high of $45.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 1.50.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 15.83%.The company had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The firm’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, equities analysts predict that Photronics will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Photronics news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.45, for a total transaction of $729,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 493,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,982,607.50. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mary Paladino sold 11,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $394,987.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,820 shares in the company, valued at $836,320.20. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 107,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,723,638 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Photronics during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Photronics in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 569.8% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,353 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Photronics by 723.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Photronics by 673.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

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.