Insider Selling: Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Sells $225,000.00 in Stock

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 385,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,363,250. The trade was a 1.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Kang Jyh Lee also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, April 15th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.10, for a total transaction of $451,000.00.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 5,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.27, for a total transaction of $216,350.00.
• On Monday, April 6th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 5,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.53, for a total transaction of $202,650.00.
• On Monday, March 23rd, Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.00, for a total transaction of $390,000.00.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.80, for a total transaction of $358,000.00.
• On Thursday, January 15th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.13, for a total transaction of $341,300.00.

Photronics Trading Up 5.5%

Shares of PLAB stock opened at $48.38 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $38.98 and its 200 day moving average is $32.01. Photronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.59 and a 12 month high of $48.55.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.07. The company 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%. Photronics’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Photronics by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after purchasing an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Photronics by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $55,361,000 after purchasing an additional 106,069 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Photronics by 699.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Photronics by 395.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $49,164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Photronics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,902,000. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and guidance — Photronics reported $0.61 EPS vs. $0.54 expected and revenue above consensus, and management set Q2 FY26 guidance of $0.49–$0.55, which improves near‑term earnings visibility and supports the rally. MarketBeat Q4 and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and valuation narrative — Zacks upgraded PLAB to a stronger rank (strong‑buy) and other brokers have issued buy/strong‑buy notes; the stock is being viewed as attractively valued (below ~20x earnings vs. some peers), drawing buy interest. Zacks coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / screen recognition — Inclusion on Zacks’ value/strong‑buy screens and recent upward revision to consensus targets can attract momentum and institutional flows. Zacks list
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership — Roughly ~88% of the float is held by institutions; this can amplify moves when funds rebalance but also means price action is often driven by fundamentals and institutional flows rather than retail trading. Institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — Multiple insiders have sold sizable blocks in mid‑April: COO Hsueh‑Chun Wang (19,250 shares at ~$45.30), Director Kang Jyh Lee (10,000 shares at ~$45.10), CFO Eric Rivera (small recent sale plus a ~41k sale earlier), and other directors/executives. These concentrated disposals are prompting short‑term selling pressure and media scrutiny. InsiderTrades alert COO Form 4 Director Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Media/analyst focus on cash‑outs — Coverage calling out the insider cash‑outs increases volatility and could deter some investors until insiders’ reasons (liquidity, diversification) are clarified. TipRanks discussion

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on PLAB shares. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $46.33.

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.