Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) COO Sells $872,025.00 in Stock

Key Points

• COO Hsueh‑Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares on April 14 for $872,025 (avg $45.30), reducing her stake by 14.49% to 113,560 shares after several other insider sales in early April, a cluster of executive disposals that could spur headline risk and short‑term selling pressure.
• Photronics beat Q4 expectations (EPS $0.61 vs. $0.54) and topped revenue estimates, set Q2 FY26 guidance of $0.490–$0.550, and has multiple buy/strong‑buy analyst ratings with a consensus target around $46.33, supporting the company's near‑term fundamentals despite the insider activity.

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total value of $872,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,560 shares in the company, valued at $5,144,268. This trade represents a 14.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Hsueh-Chun Wang also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, April 9th, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 11,875 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.25, for a total value of $525,468.75.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.69, for a total value of $426,900.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total value of $420,800.00.

Photronics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PLAB traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $45.84. The company had a trading volume of 703,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 930,627. Photronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.59 and a fifty-two week high of $46.49. The business's fifty day moving average is $38.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.84. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51 and a beta of 1.43.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.09 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Craig Hallum reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Photronics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Lake Street Capital began coverage on Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $46.00 price target for the company. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Photronics has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $46.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Photronics

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and constructive guidance — Photronics reported $0.61 EPS vs. $0.54 expected and revenue above estimates, and set Q2 FY26 guidance of $0.490–$0.550, giving near‑term earnings visibility that supports the stock. MarketBeat Q4 and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and valuation pick-up — Zacks recently moved PLAB to a stronger rank (strong‑buy on value lists) and other brokers (Lake Street, Craig Hallum, WallStreetZen) have buy/strong‑buy notes; coverage highlights PLAB trading below ~20x earnings versus some peers, which supports interest if semiconductor/AI demand continues. Zacks coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / screen recognition — PLAB showed up on Zacks’ “Best Value / Strong Buy” lists and other thematic screens, which can attract momentum and value-focused buyers into the name. Zacks list
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership / recent fund activity — Institutional investors hold a large share (~88%); recent reported inflows and rebalancings can amplify moves but also reduce retail-driven volatility. This makes stock moves more about fundamentals and less about small‑holder noise. Institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — Multiple insiders have sold sizeable blocks in mid‑April (CFO Eric Rivera, Director Constantine Macricostas, COO Hsueh‑Chun Wang, Director Kang Jyh Lee and others). These large sales (e.g., 50,000 shares by a director; >41k by the CFO in earlier filings) create headline risk and potential short‑term selling pressure despite management saying trades are liquidity/rebalancing. Director Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Media/analyst scrutiny on insider activity — Coverage highlighting the insider cash‑outs has drawn attention and debate (routine vs. signal), which can amplify volatility and invite short‑term trading. InsiderTrades alert

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Photronics by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 105,784 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $3,385,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Photronics by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,624 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Photronics by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,917 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kendall Capital Management boosted its stake in Photronics by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 46,385 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,484,000 after buying an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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.