Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Stock Price Down 6.1% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) dropped 6.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $31.10 and last traded at $31.3640. Approximately 434,830 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 1,144,054 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.39.

Specifically, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.05, for a total transaction of $330,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 425,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,074,342.50. The trade was a 2.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.83, for a total value of $348,300.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 445,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,528,955.50. The trade was a 2.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PLAB shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Craig Hallum increased their price target on Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $43.50.

Photronics Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $28.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.44. The company has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 699.0% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $52,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017,052 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management grew its position in Photronics by 17.2% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $49,106,000 after buying an additional 383,355 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth about $8,416,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Photronics by 123.8% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 233,498 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,359,000 after acquiring an additional 129,152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,306,176 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $43,425,000 after acquiring an additional 109,909 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.