Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 210,969 Shares of Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,779,728 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 210,969 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.79% of Photronics worth $132,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 17.2% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,106,000 after buying an additional 383,355 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Photronics by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,306,176 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $43,425,000 after acquiring an additional 109,909 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Photronics by 64.8% during the 3rd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 235,238 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,399,000 after purchasing an additional 92,475 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in Photronics by 525.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 109,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,060,000 after purchasing an additional 91,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 37.2% in the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 199,100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,749,000 after purchasing an additional 54,000 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Photronics Stock Down 4.5%

NASDAQ PLAB opened at $35.26 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $35.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.28. Photronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.46 and a 52 week high of $45.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 1.50.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christopher J. Progler sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.78, for a total transaction of $894,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 165,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,924,845.98. The trade was a 13.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total transaction of $770,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 493,350 shares in the company, valued at $19,008,775.50. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 171,250 shares of company stock valued at $6,091,950 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PLAB. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.50.

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.