Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Purchases New Position in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 150,058 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,881,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Photronics during the second quarter worth approximately $308,586,000. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Photronics by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $92,271,000 after purchasing an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Photronics by 395.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,588 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in Photronics in the 1st quarter valued at $47,902,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Photronics by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,023,766 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $32,761,000 after purchasing an additional 33,573 shares during the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Photronics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings and revenue beat estimates. Photronics reported adjusted EPS of $0.50 versus the $0.40 consensus estimate and revenue of approximately $216.1 million versus expectations of $208.8 million. Revenue increased 2.7% year over year, while GAAP diluted EPS was $0.49. Photronics Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Higher-end chip-mask demand showed improvement. Management said delayed semiconductor design releases recovered during the quarter, helping results, while high-end integrated-circuit products reached a record 44% of IC revenue. IC revenue rose 5% year over year and sequentially to $154.7 million. Photronics Q3 Earnings Call Highlights High-End IC Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter guidance indicates continued demand resilience. Photronics forecast revenue of $207 million to $227 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.40 to $0.56. The midpoint of the revenue outlook is broadly in line with analyst expectations, while the EPS midpoint is above the consensus estimate cited in the reports.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed. Recent filings showed some large investors increasing holdings while others reduced exposure. The company ended the quarter with approximately $672.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, providing financial flexibility.
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms publicized a securities class action against Photronics. The case covers investors who purchased shares between December 10, 2025, and May 27, 2026, and alleges that the company and certain officers made misleading disclosures about bottlenecks and demand in its high-end IC photomask business. The allegations have not been proven. The lead-plaintiff deadline is September 4, 2026. Photronics Class Action Deadline Pomerantz Investor Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity may temper sentiment. Data cited in the coverage showed 27 open-market insider sales and no purchases during the past six months, including sales by senior executives. While such transactions may reflect personal or compensation-related decisions, the absence of insider buying is a cautionary signal for investors.

Photronics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $30.26 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $30.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.40. Photronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.05 and a 52-week high of $56.00. The company has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 1.38.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The semiconductor company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $216.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.75 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.45% and a net margin of 19.05%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. Photronics has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.33.

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.