Insider Selling: Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Mitchell Tyson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 43,199 shares in the company, valued at $1,521,036.79. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Photronics Stock Performance

PLAB stock traded down $0.34 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,091,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,117,423. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.78. Photronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.46 and a 1-year high of $39.80. The stock has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Craig Hallum lifted their price target on Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Photronics currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $43.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and guidance: Photronics reported an EPS beat and revenue above consensus for the quarter and set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $0.51–$0.59, supporting upside expectations from analysts. MarketBeat PLAB summary
• Positive Sentiment: Board addition: The company appointed Michelle Almeida to its board effective Jan. 1, 2026 — a governance/experience enhancement that may be viewed favorably by investors. Photronics Appoints Michelle Almeida
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events and coverage: Photronics will present at the Needham Growth Conference on Jan. 14, giving management an opportunity to update investors; recent analyst notes and valuation pieces discuss the company’s CTO transition and share-price momentum (informational, potential catalyst depending on Q&A). Needham Conference release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis and coverage: Recent articles examine the planned CTO transition and valuation after recent share-price gains — useful context for investors but not an immediate directional driver. How Photronics’ Longtime CTO Transition Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple directors sold shares in early January (notably Kang Jyh Lee, Mitchell G. Tyson and Mary Paladino), with individual sales in the tens of thousands of dollars and double‑digit percentage reductions in some director holdings; such concentrated insider sales often weigh on near‑term sentiment. Insider Selling: MarketBeat

Institutional Trading of Photronics

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLAB. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Photronics by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,106,000 after purchasing an additional 383,355 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Photronics by 4.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $55,361,000 after buying an additional 106,069 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Photronics by 699.0% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $52,914,000 after buying an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,888,042 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,555,000 after buying an additional 26,507 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 837,442 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $19,331,000 after buying an additional 10,724 shares during the period. 88.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.