Insider Selling: Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Sells 11,250 Shares of Stock

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Mary Paladino sold 11,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $394,987.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,320.20. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Photronics Price Performance

PLAB stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.86. 1,091,156 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,117,423. Photronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.46 and a 1-year high of $39.80. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.78. The firm has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 1.52.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.13. Photronics had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The business had revenue of $215.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Photronics by 30.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 219,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,553,000 after acquiring an additional 50,707 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 371,815 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $7,719,000 after purchasing an additional 44,764 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,647 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $761,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Photronics by 45.6% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,027 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 7,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Photronics by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 96,752 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after buying an additional 12,159 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Photronics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and guidance: Photronics reported an EPS beat and revenue above consensus for the quarter and set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $0.51–$0.59, supporting upside expectations from analysts. MarketBeat PLAB summary
• Positive Sentiment: Board addition: The company appointed Michelle Almeida to its board effective Jan. 1, 2026 — a governance/experience enhancement that may be viewed favorably by investors. Photronics Appoints Michelle Almeida
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events and coverage: Photronics will present at the Needham Growth Conference on Jan. 14, giving management an opportunity to update investors; recent analyst notes and valuation pieces discuss the company’s CTO transition and share-price momentum (informational, potential catalyst depending on Q&A). Needham Conference release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis and coverage: Recent articles examine the planned CTO transition and valuation after recent share-price gains — useful context for investors but not an immediate directional driver. How Photronics’ Longtime CTO Transition Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple directors sold shares in early January (notably Kang Jyh Lee, Mitchell G. Tyson and Mary Paladino), with individual sales in the tens of thousands of dollars and double‑digit percentage reductions in some director holdings; such concentrated insider sales often weigh on near‑term sentiment. Insider Selling: MarketBeat

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Craig Hallum increased their target price on Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $43.50.

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.