Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics to “Buy” from “Hold.” The broader analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy,” with a $49.33 average price target.
• Photronics reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, beating estimates by $0.10, while revenue of $216.05 million exceeded expectations and increased 2.7% year over year.
• Shares opened at $28.99, versus a 52-week range of $20.05 to $56.00; institutional investors own approximately 88.4% of the company.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Photronics from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Craig Hallum reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Photronics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.33.

Photronics Stock Performance

Shares of PLAB opened at $28.99 on Friday. Photronics has a fifty-two week low of $20.05 and a fifty-two week high of $56.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $30.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.67.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $216.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.75 million. Photronics had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 7.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. Photronics has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Photronics will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Photronics by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 105,784 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $3,385,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Photronics by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,624 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Photronics by 29.1% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,917 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Photronics by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 60,900 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,398,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LVZ Inc. grew its holdings in Photronics by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 21,966 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $888,000 after buying an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company's stock.

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.

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