Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Shares Cross Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.89 and traded as high as $29.19. Photronics shares last traded at $28.92, with a volume of 889,417 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PLAB shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Photronics from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.33.

Photronics Stock Up 3.0%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $28.93 and its 200 day moving average is $35.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 1.42.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The semiconductor company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $216.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.75 million. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.45% and a net margin of 19.05%. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Photronics has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.560 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Photronics, Inc. will post 1.90 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Photronics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLAB. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Photronics in the 2nd quarter valued at $308,586,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Photronics by 32.5% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 823,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $33,289,000 after buying an additional 202,040 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its stake in Photronics by 2.2% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 680,141 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $20,940,000 after acquiring an additional 14,441 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,374,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the second quarter valued at about $12,355,000. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

About Photronics

Photronics, Inc. manufactures photomasks, high-precision plates used to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat-panel displays. Its products support the production of integrated circuits and display technologies. The company serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world, with operations across North America, Europe and Asia. Photronics traces its history to 1969, when it was established as Photronic Labs. Photronics is headquartered in Brookfield, Connecticut.