Lazard Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 117,365 Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 117,365 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,743,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Invesco Ltd. raised 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 buying an additional 1,226,588 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Photronics during the 1st quarter worth $47,902,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Photronics by 2,201.5% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 621,448 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $19,883,000 after acquiring an additional 594,446 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its position in Photronics by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after acquiring an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Photronics in the third quarter valued at $8,416,000. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on PLAB. Freedom Capital upgraded Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 29th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.33.

Photronics Stock Performance

Shares of PLAB stock opened at $30.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 1.37. Photronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.44 and a fifty-two week high of $56.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $31.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.79.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.11). Photronics had a return on equity of 7.69% and a net margin of 18.47%.The firm had revenue of $209.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS.

Trending Headlines about Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms—including Hagens Berman, Kaplan Fox, Faruqi & Faruqi, Robbins LLP, and others—are soliciting investors who purchased Photronics securities between December 10, 2025, and May 27, 2026. The September 4, 2026 deadline is for investors seeking appointment as lead plaintiff; these notices are largely duplicative procedural updates. Hagens Berman investigation
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuit and related investigations allege that Photronics misled investors about demand and the outlook for its high-end integrated-circuit photomask business, including allegedly overstating the strength and sustainability of customer demand. If proven, the claims could create legal costs, potential damages, and reputational risk. Robbins LLP lawsuit notice
• Negative Sentiment: The allegations follow Photronics’ May 28 earnings release, when the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.42 versus a $0.53 consensus estimate and revenue of $209.94 million versus expectations of $216.47 million. Revenue also declined slightly year over year, while third-quarter guidance of $0.39–$0.45 per share suggested limited near-term upside. SueWallSt shareholder alert

Photronics 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.