Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Stock Price Up 8.8% – What’s Next?

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) was up 8.8% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $34.75 and last traded at $34.1750. Approximately 623,432 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 1,170,884 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Craig Hallum raised their target price on Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Photronics has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $43.50.

Photronics Trading Up 9.2%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $28.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.27. The company has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 1.52.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $215.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.54 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.06%.The firm’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Photronics

In related news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total value of $770,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 493,350 shares in the company, valued at $19,008,775.50. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mary Paladino sold 11,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $394,987.50. Following the sale, the director owned 23,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,320.20. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 157,500 shares of company stock worth $5,505,038 in the last quarter. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PLAB. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Photronics during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Photronics by 673.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Photronics during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Photronics in the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. 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.