M&T Bank Corp Grows Stake in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Photronics by 847.4% in Q4 to 88,161 shares (about 0.15% ownership) valued at roughly $2.82 million.
• Analysts have a consensus Buy rating on PLAB with an average price target of $46.33, while the stock was trading around $51.40 and near its 52‑week high.
• Despite a quarterly beat (EPS $0.61 vs. $0.54) and revenue upside, insiders sold 346,144 shares worth about $15.06M

M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Free Report) by 847.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,161 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 78,855 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp owned approximately 0.15% of Photronics worth $2,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PLAB. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted 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 worth $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 worth approximately $55,000. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PLAB shares. Lake Street Capital started coverage on Photronics in a research note on Friday, March 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $46.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Craig Hallum restated a "buy" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Photronics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Photronics presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $46.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Photronics news, CFO Eric Rivera sold 1,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.77, for a total value of $44,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,096,465.21. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total value of $2,267,500.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Photronics Stock Down 1.7%

PLAB stock opened at $51.40 on Tuesday. Photronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.59 and a twelve month high of $52.79. The firm has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.47 and a 200 day moving average of $33.25.

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

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