Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys 83,400 Shares of Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Photronics by 41.3%, buying 83,400 shares in Q4 to hold 285,261 shares (about 0.48% of the company) valued at roughly $9.13 million.
• Photronics topped Q1 estimates with $0.61 EPS vs. $0.54 expected and $225.07M in revenue, set Q2 guidance of $0.49–$0.55 EPS, and trades with a market cap of $3.08B and a P/E of 22.24.
• Insiders have sold a total of 346,144 shares worth $15.06M over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own about 88.38% of the stock.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Free Report) by 41.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 285,261 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 83,400 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.48% of Photronics worth $9,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Photronics by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 219,290 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,553,000 after buying an additional 50,707 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,647 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $761,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 14.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 96,752 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,009,000 after buying an additional 12,159 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Photronics by 6.0% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 62,441 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 3,526 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Photronics by 21.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 273,646 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $5,153,000 after acquiring an additional 48,342 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Photronics Stock Down 0.0%

PLAB opened at $52.26 on Monday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $40.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.06. Photronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.59 and a 52 week high of $52.79. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 22.24 and a beta of 1.43.

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. Photronics had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 15.83%.The firm had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.52 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Photronics news, CFO Eric Rivera sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.77, for a total transaction of $44,770.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,173 shares in the company, valued at $6,096,465.21. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total transaction of $2,267,500.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PLAB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, March 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Craig Hallum restated a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $46.33.

About Photronics

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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