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

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on PLAB. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, Singular Research upgraded shares of Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Photronics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.00.

Photronics Price Performance

NASDAQ:PLAB traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $21.12. 487,540 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 581,883. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $23.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 1.55. Photronics has a 52-week low of $16.46 and a 52-week high of $31.60.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 27th. The semiconductor company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $210.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.30 million. Photronics had a net margin of 12.67% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.420-0.480 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Photronics will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Photronics

In related news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.33, for a total transaction of $253,300.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 513,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,003,155.50. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Han Kyung Park sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 103,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,266,000. This represents a 12.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 82,750 shares of company stock worth $1,953,800. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Photronics by 0.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 60,900 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,398,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Photronics by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 31,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Photronics by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 14,847 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in Photronics by 7.7% during the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 16,319 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 1,162 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Photronics by 2.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 55,868 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Company Profile

Photronics, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of photomask products and services in the United States, Taiwan, China, Korea, Europe, and internationally. It offers photomasks that are used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and flat panel displays (FPDs); and to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers, and FDP substrates.