NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Acquires 22,504 Shares of Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its holdings in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) by 49.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,038 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 22,504 shares during the quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Photronics worth $1,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Photronics by 201.3% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 62,556 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,436,000 after buying an additional 41,791 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its position in Photronics by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 826,718 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $15,706,000 after acquiring an additional 23,037 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Photronics by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,106,000 after acquiring an additional 383,355 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 37.2% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 199,100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,749,000 after acquiring an additional 54,000 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Photronics by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 44,204 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 15,222 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Photronics Trading Down 0.3%

Photronics stock opened at $34.44 on Wednesday. Photronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.46 and a 12 month high of $39.80. The company has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.71.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $19,008,775.50. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mary Paladino sold 11,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 23,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $836,320.20. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 181,250 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,150 over the last ninety days. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.