UBS Group AG Reduces Position in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

UBS Group AG decreased its holdings in shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) by 55.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 143,406 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 178,872 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Photronics were worth $4,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Photronics during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Photronics by 673.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,293 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in Photronics during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Photronics during the third quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Photronics during the third quarter worth about $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Photronics

In other news, CAO Rui Zhang sold 4,556 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.70, for a total transaction of $212,765.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,264,589.30. This represents a 14.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total transaction of $872,025.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,560 shares in the company, valued at $5,144,268. This represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Stock Performance

Shares of PLAB opened at $51.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.90 and a beta of 1.51. Photronics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.59 and a 1 year high of $56.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.38.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current 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.