Analysts Set Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Price Target at $43.50

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the five research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.50.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on shares of Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total transaction of $770,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 493,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,008,775.50. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Han Kyung Park sold 13,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.99, for a total value of $522,362.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 89,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,390,607.50. This represents a 13.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 111,250 shares of company stock worth $3,916,200. 3.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Photronics by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Photronics by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 60,900 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Photronics by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 14,847 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,162 shares during the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Photronics Stock Up 5.5%

PLAB opened at $35.20 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.70. Photronics has a 52 week low of $16.46 and a 52 week high of $39.80.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $215.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.54 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.06%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Photronics will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.