Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Photronics reached a new 52-week high of $47.00 on Friday (last trade $47.0090); the company has a market cap of $2.74 billion and 50/200-day moving averages of $38.75 and $31.84.
• Analyst sentiment is positive with a MarketBeat consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target of $46.33, reflecting several recent upgrades including two "Strong Buy" ratings and multiple "Buy" calls.
• Fundamentals showed an earnings beat (Q quarter EPS $0.61 vs. $0.54 and revenue $225.07M vs. $220.09M) with Q2 guidance of $0.49–$0.55, but insiders have recently sold large stakes (CEO sold 121,194 shares; CFO sold 41,517), leaving insiders owning 3.30%.

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $47.00 and last traded at $47.0090, with a volume of 3546 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on PLAB shares. Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $46.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Craig Hallum reissued a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Photronics in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $46.33.

Photronics Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 1.43. The business's 50 day moving average is $38.75 and its 200 day moving average is $31.84.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Photronics news, CEO George Macricostas sold 121,194 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.94, for a total transaction of $5,204,070.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 334,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,344,879.92. The trade was a 26.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Eric Rivera sold 41,517 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total transaction of $1,826,748.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,173 shares in the company, valued at $5,991,612. The trade was a 23.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 311,588 shares of company stock worth $13,479,594 in the last quarter. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PLAB. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Photronics by 323.1% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 50,036 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 38,209 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Photronics by 201.3% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 62,556 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 41,791 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Photronics in the 3rd quarter valued at $864,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Photronics by 699.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $52,914,000 after buying an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Photronics by 4.6% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,412,245 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $55,361,000 after buying an additional 106,069 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.38% of the company's stock.

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.