Empowered Funds LLC Invests $8.84 Million in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 271,855 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,843,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Photronics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $308,586,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,226,588 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Photronics during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $47,902,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Photronics by 2,201.5% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 621,448 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $19,883,000 after purchasing an additional 594,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Photronics in the second quarter worth $12,374,000. 88.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Photronics reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $0.50 per share, exceeding the $0.40 analyst consensus, while revenue of $216.1 million also topped expectations and increased 2.7% year over year. The company said delayed semiconductor design releases are recovering, and high-end IC products reached a record 44% of IC revenue. Photronics Q3 Earnings Call Highlights High-End IC Recovery
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings guidance of $0.40 to $0.56 per share indicates continued profitability, although the midpoint is below the latest quarterly result. Analysts expect approximately $1.85 in earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms are promoting a securities class action against Photronics on behalf of investors who purchased securities between December 10, 2025, and May 27, 2026. The complaints allege that the company and certain executives misled investors about demand and the outlook for its high-end integrated-circuit photomask business, including allegedly inadequate disclosure of bottlenecks in the design-release pipeline. PLAB 1-Week Deadline Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Investors who seek to serve as lead plaintiff must act by September 4, 2026. Although the notices are largely deadline reminders rather than new allegations, their volume keeps potential litigation costs, management distraction, reputational risk and possible damages in focus. Photronics Investor Deadline Notice

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PLAB. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.33.

Photronics Stock Down 8.4%

Shares of PLAB opened at $27.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a fifty day moving average of $30.64 and a 200 day moving average of $37.33. Photronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.05 and a 52-week high of $56.00.

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

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.