Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.390-0.450 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.530. The company issued revenue guidance of $207.0 million-$215.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $218.7 million.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PLAB. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research lowered Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Photronics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.33.

Photronics Stock Performance

PLAB stock opened at $34.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.20. Photronics has a 52-week low of $16.59 and a 52-week high of $56.00.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $209.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $216.47 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Photronics will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Photronics news, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $1,826,748.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,991,612. The trade was a 23.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total transaction of $2,267,500.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Photronics reported Q2 EPS of $0.42, missing the $0.53 consensus, while revenue of $209.9 million also came in below estimates; the miss appears to have driven the stock lower. Photronics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s Q3 2026 guidance was also below analyst expectations, with EPS guidance of $0.39-$0.45 versus $0.53 expected and revenue guidance of $207 million-$215 million versus $218.7 million expected.
• Negative Sentiment: Management pointed to temporary headwinds including delayed design releases, elevated fab utilization rates, memory supply constraints, cost pressure for OEMs, and geopolitical uncertainty, which raised concerns about near-term demand and execution. PLAB INVESTOR ALERT: Holzer & Holzer, LLC Investigation of Photronics, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: The disappointing results triggered multiple securities-fraud and shareholder-loss investigations, adding legal overhang and uncertainty for investors. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Photronics, Inc. (PLAB) Announced – Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PLAB. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Photronics by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 219,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,553,000 after purchasing an additional 50,707 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Photronics by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,647 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $761,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Photronics by 14.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 96,752 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after buying an additional 12,159 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Photronics by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 62,441 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 3,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 273,646 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,153,000 after acquiring an additional 48,342 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

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.