Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Share Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.25 and traded as high as $29.79. Photronics shares last traded at $29.34, with a volume of 551,069 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PLAB shares. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.33.

Photronics Trading Up 1.8%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.33 and a beta of 1.32.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The semiconductor company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.10. Photronics had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 7.45%. The firm had revenue of $216.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 1.90 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Photronics

In other news, SVP Han Park sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.37, for a total transaction of $288,515.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 66,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,004,420. This trade represents a 12.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kang Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.75, for a total transaction of $307,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 337,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,373,512.50. The trade was a 2.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 37,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,114,265. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Photronics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PLAB. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Photronics in the 2nd quarter worth about $308,586,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Photronics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,374,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Photronics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,355,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Photronics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,843,000. Finally, Meros Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Photronics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,728,055. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Photronics

Photronics, Inc (NASDAQ: PLAB) is a manufacturer of photomasks, also known as photolithography masks, used in the production of semiconductors and flat-panel displays. Its products contain the patterns that are transferred onto silicon wafers or display substrates during the manufacturing process.

The company supplies photomasks for integrated circuits, including products used in advanced logic, memory, and other semiconductor applications. It also produces photomasks for flat-panel displays used in products such as televisions, monitors, smartphones, and other electronic devices.