Zacks Research Downgrades Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) to Hold

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on PLAB. 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. Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.33.

Photronics Trading Up 0.3%

PLAB stock opened at $52.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13 and a beta of 1.51. Photronics has a 1 year low of $16.59 and a 1 year high of $56.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.40.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $220.09 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Photronics will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Photronics news, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $1,826,748.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,991,612. This trade represents a 23.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total value of $2,267,500.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Photronics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in Photronics during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Photronics in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 569.8% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,353 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Photronics by 723.8% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

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.