Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 1,935,208 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 72% from the previous session’s volume of 1,125,453 shares.The stock last traded at $32.2750 and had previously closed at $34.02.

Trending Headlines about Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Photronics reported Q2 EPS of $0.42, missing the $0.53 consensus estimate, while revenue of $209.9 million also came in below forecasts. Photronics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s Q3 guidance also disappointed, with EPS guidance of $0.39 to $0.45 versus the $0.53 analyst estimate, and revenue guidance of $207 million to $215 million below consensus. Photronics Investigation Initiated: Levi & Korsinsky Investigates the Officers and Directors of Photronics (PLAB)
• Negative Sentiment: Management said certain design releases are being delayed by high fab utilization, memory supply constraints, cost pressure for OEMs, and geopolitical uncertainty, which raised concerns about near-term momentum. Holzer & Holzer, LLC Investigation of Photronics, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced securities-fraud investigations, adding legal overhang after the post-earnings selloff. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Photronics, Inc. (PLAB) Announced

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research downgraded Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.33.

Photronics Trading Down 5.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $46.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.20.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.11). Photronics had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 15.83%.The business had revenue of $209.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. Photronics’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Photronics

In other Photronics news, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total value of $2,267,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO George Macricostas sold 121,194 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.94, for a total value of $5,204,070.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 334,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,344,879.92. This represents a 26.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Photronics by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 105,784 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,385,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,624 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,917 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kendall Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 46,385 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by 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.