Zacks Research Upgrades Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) to “Strong-Buy”

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

PLAB has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on Photronics in a research report on Friday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $46.33.

Photronics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $45.86 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $38.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.74. Photronics has a 1-year low of $16.59 and a 1-year high of $46.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Insider Activity at Photronics

In related news, CEO George Macricostas sold 121,194 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 334,068 shares in the company, valued at $14,344,879.92. This trade represents a 26.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total value of $2,267,500.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 298,588 shares of company stock worth $12,825,632 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Photronics

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PLAB. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Photronics by 699.0% in the 3rd 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. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Photronics by 395.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,164,000 after buying an additional 1,226,588 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Photronics by 2,201.5% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 621,448 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $19,883,000 after buying an additional 594,446 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in Photronics by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,883,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $92,271,000 after acquiring an additional 370,489 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Photronics in the third quarter worth about $8,416,000. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Photronics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded PLAB to its #1 (Strong Buy) value list, which can attract momentum/value buyers and boost intraday flows. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and constructive guidance: Photronics reported $0.61 EPS vs. $0.54 expected and revenue above estimates, and guided Q2 FY26 to $0.490–$0.550 — this supports near?term earnings visibility. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/valuation support: recent buy/strong?buy notes and commentary highlight PLAB trading below ~20x earnings versus some peers, reinforcing the investment case if semiconductor/AI demand sustains. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market debate over insider activity: some outlets frame recent insider sales as routine liquidity/rebalancing rather than a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, leaving investor reaction mixed. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Cluster of insider sales creates headline risk and potential short?term selling pressure — notable recent filings include CFO Eric Rivera (large sale reported April 9 and a smaller 1,000?share sale disclosed Apr 13), Director Constantine Macricostas (50,000 shares), COO Hsueh?Chun Wang (11,875 shares) and Director Kang Jyh Lee (5,000). These filings and press summaries may weigh on sentiment until trading volume/demand confirms the move. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.

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.