Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on PLAB. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Photronics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.50.

Photronics Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $33.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $35.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.99. Photronics has a 12 month low of $16.46 and a 12 month high of $45.40.

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

Insider Transactions at Photronics

In other news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.13, for a total value of $341,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 410,850 shares in the company, valued at $14,022,310.50. This trade represents a 2.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mitchell G. Tyson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.21, for a total value of $176,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,521,036.79. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 87,500 shares of company stock valued at $2,994,638. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Photronics by 323.1% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 50,036 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,148,000 after buying an additional 38,209 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Photronics by 201.3% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 62,556 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,436,000 after acquiring an additional 41,791 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted 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 during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted 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 during the period. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Photronics during the third quarter worth about $864,000. 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.