Vanguard Group Inc. Has $122.63 Million Holdings in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Photronics, Inc. to 9.29%, acquiring an additional 38,330 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total shares to 5,907,219, valued at approximately $122.6 million.
• Insider trading activity included Director David A. Garcia purchasing 2,650 shares, boosting his ownership by 35%, while Director Mitchell G. Tyson sold 15,000 shares, resulting in a 20.85% decrease in his stake.
• Photronics reported a decline in revenue and missed earnings expectations, with $0.40 earnings per share compared to the consensus estimate of $0.48, leading analysts to revise their ratings and price targets for the stock.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,907,219 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,330 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.29% of Photronics worth $122,634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Photronics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Photronics during the fourth quarter worth about $101,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Photronics during the fourth quarter worth about $110,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Photronics by 36.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,755 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 1,793 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Photronics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $218,000. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on PLAB. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of Photronics in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson cut their target price on Photronics from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $31.00.

Photronics Price Performance

NASDAQ PLAB traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $22.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 527,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 617,160. Photronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.46 and a 52 week high of $31.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.81. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 1.40.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.08). Photronics had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 8.54%. The business had revenue of $210.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.00 million. Photronics's revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Photronics has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.350-0.410 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 29,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.20, for a total value of $595,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 459,623 shares in the company, valued at $9,284,384.60. The trade was a 6.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David A. Garcia purchased 2,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $19.00 per share, for a total transaction of $50,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 10,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $193,762. This trade represents a 35.11% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 49,382 shares of company stock worth $985,035 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

About Photronics

Photronics, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of photomask products and services in the United States, Taiwan, China, Korea, Europe, and internationally. It offers photomasks that are used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and flat panel displays (FPDs); and to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers, and FDP substrates.