Meros Investment Management LP Lowers Stake in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Meros Investment Management LP decreased its position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) by 78.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 108,004 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 396,804 shares during the quarter. Meros Investment Management LP’s holdings in Photronics were worth $3,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Photronics by 569.8% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,353 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,151 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Photronics by 723.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Photronics by 243.8% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,499 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of PLAB stock opened at $32.74 on Tuesday. Photronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.00 and a 12 month high of $56.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.01.

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

Insider Transactions at Photronics

In other news, COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total value of $872,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,144,268. This represents a 14.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total transaction of $2,267,500.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Zacks Research cut shares of Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.33.

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.