Short Interest in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Drops By 24.3%

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,223,122 shares, a drop of 24.3% from the December 15th total of 4,256,118 shares. Currently, 5.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,145,933 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,145,933 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 5.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mary Paladino sold 11,250 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $394,987.50. Following the sale, the director owned 23,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,320.20. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher J. Progler sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.78, for a total value of $894,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 165,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,924,845.98. The trade was a 13.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 167,500 shares of company stock worth $5,846,338 over the last quarter. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PLAB. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,106,000 after acquiring an additional 383,355 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Photronics by 4.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 106,069 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Photronics by 699.0% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,305,610 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $52,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017,052 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Photronics by 1.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,888,042 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,555,000 after purchasing an additional 26,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in Photronics by 1.3% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 837,442 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $19,331,000 after purchasing an additional 10,724 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Photronics Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:PLAB opened at $34.53 on Tuesday. Photronics has a fifty-two week low of $16.46 and a fifty-two week high of $39.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.61. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 1.52.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. Photronics had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The company had revenue of $215.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Photronics will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Craig Hallum upped their target price on shares of Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Photronics from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.50.

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.