Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.490-0.550 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.500. The company issued revenue guidance of $212.0 million-$220.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $217.6 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on PLAB shares. Craig Hallum boosted their price target on shares of Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research downgraded Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.50.

Photronics Price Performance

NASDAQ PLAB traded down $4.92 during trading on Thursday, reaching $38.65. 997,990 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,233,573. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95 and a beta of 1.52. Photronics has a fifty-two week low of $16.46 and a fifty-two week high of $45.40.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.06%.The company had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Photronics will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Photronics

In related news, Director Mary Paladino sold 11,250 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $394,987.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,320.20. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.13, for a total value of $341,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 410,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,022,310.50. This trade represents a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 181,250 shares of company stock worth $6,317,150. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Photronics reported $0.61 EPS vs. a $0.54 consensus and revenue of $225.1M (above the $220.1M estimate); revenue was up ~6% YoY, supporting the better-than-expected print. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlighted record high-end IC revenue, which helped push the stock to a 52-week high on the earnings release. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow: traders bought ~5,920 calls (≈194% above average), signalling speculative bullish positioning into/after the print.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 EPS guidance was provided at $0.490–$0.550 (consensus ≈ $0.50), so EPS outlook sits around expectations though with a wide range; management also issued a revenue range.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance came in at $212M–$220M versus Street revenue of ~$217.6M — the midpoint is slightly below consensus, which likely disappointed some investors and tempered enthusiasm. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts/commentary flagged that while Q1 was strong, Q2 could be less impressive — this caution plus recent strong share performance (big 1‑year rally) increases the risk of profit-taking. Article Title

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Photronics by 395.9% in the fourth 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. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Photronics by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 18,849 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Photronics during the 4th quarter worth $390,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Photronics by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 285,602 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,139,000 after buying an additional 2,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Photronics during the 4th quarter worth $969,000. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.