Jennison Associates LLC Acquires New Shares in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Key Points

• Jennison Associates established a new Q4 position in Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB), purchasing 28,560 shares worth about $914,000.
• Insider selling has been significant — executives (including the COO and CFO) and other insiders sold a total of 346,144 shares (~$15.06M) last quarter, while institutional investors hold roughly 88.38% of the stock and insiders about 3.30%.
• Recent results and sentiment: Photronics beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.61 vs. $0.54) and raised Q2 2026 guidance to $0.49–$0.55; analysts maintain a consensus "Buy" rating with an average price target of $49.33.

Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 28,560 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $914,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Photronics in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Photronics during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Photronics by 673.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,293 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Photronics in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Photronics by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.38% of the company's stock.

Photronics Price Performance

NASDAQ PLAB opened at $50.16 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $41.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.80. Photronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.59 and a 1-year high of $52.79.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Photronics from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Craig Hallum restated a "buy" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $49.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total transaction of $872,025.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 113,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,144,268. This represents a 14.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $1,826,748.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,991,612. The trade was a 23.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 346,144 shares of company stock valued at $15,061,759. Corporate insiders own 3.30% 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PLAB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.