Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Invests $47.90 Million in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management opened a new position in Photronics, buying 1,185,405 shares worth about $47.9 million in the first quarter and ending up with roughly 2.01% of the company.
• Insider selling picked up at Photronics, with COO Hsueh-Chun Wang and CAO Rui Zhang both selling shares in April; insiders sold 326,144 shares worth about $14.3 million over the last quarter.
• Analysts are mixed on PLAB after recent results: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus and a $49.33 average price target, but the company recently missed earnings and revenue estimates for the quarter.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,185,405 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $47,902,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 2.01% of Photronics as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Photronics in the 4th quarter valued at about $960,000. LSV Asset Management grew its position in Photronics by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $92,271,000 after purchasing an additional 370,489 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in Photronics by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 313,404 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $10,029,000 after purchasing an additional 78,166 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Photronics by 41.3% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 285,261 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $9,128,000 after buying an additional 83,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Photronics by 699.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $52,914,000 after buying an additional 2,017,052 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Photronics

In other news, COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total transaction of $872,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 113,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,144,268. This trade represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Rui Zhang sold 4,556 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.70, for a total transaction of $212,765.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,264,589.30. This represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 326,144 shares of company stock worth $14,313,759. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PLAB shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Photronics from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Photronics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Craig Hallum reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $49.33.

Photronics Price Performance

PLAB opened at $33.63 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.28. Photronics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $18.00 and a 1 year high of $56.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.37.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $209.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.47 million. Photronics had a net margin of 18.47% and a return on equity of 7.69%. The company's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.390-0.450 EPS.

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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