Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Sees Large Volume Increase on Strong Earnings

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. Approximately 1,133,639 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 53% from the previous session’s volume of 738,914 shares.The stock last traded at $37.4240 and had previously closed at $37.35.

The semiconductor company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $215.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.54 million. Photronics had a net margin of 12.67% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson set a $45.00 price target on Photronics in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut Photronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, Singular Research raised shares of Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christopher J. Progler sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.52, for a total value of $225,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 190,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,292,109.32. This represents a 4.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mary Paladino sold 42,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.00, for a total transaction of $1,026,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,798 shares in the company, valued at $811,152. This represents a 55.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 67,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,629,700. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Photronics by 0.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 60,900 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Photronics by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 31,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Photronics by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 14,847 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 16,319 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Photronics during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.25 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $23.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.55.

Photronics Company Profile

Photronics, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of photomask products and services in the United States, Taiwan, China, Korea, Europe, and internationally. It offers photomasks that are used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and flat panel displays (FPDs); and to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers, and FDP substrates.