Squarepoint Ops LLC Takes Position in Photronics, Inc. $PLAB

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 30,691 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $578,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Photronics by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $49,106,000 after acquiring an additional 383,355 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Photronics by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,306,176 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $43,425,000 after purchasing an additional 109,909 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Photronics by 1.4% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Photronics by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 826,718 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $15,706,000 after purchasing an additional 23,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Photronics by 3.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 435,223 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $8,195,000 after purchasing an additional 15,345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.38% of the company’s stock.

Photronics Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ PLAB opened at $34.05 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $25.64 and its 200 day moving average is $22.73. The stock has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 1.54. Photronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.46 and a 1-year high of $39.80.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $215.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.54 million. Photronics had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on PLAB. Singular Research raised Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Photronics in a research note on Monday. 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 research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mitchell G. Tyson sold 5,000 shares of Photronics stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.17, for a total value of $180,850.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 46,927 shares in the company, valued at $1,697,349.59. This trade represents a 9.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total transaction of $770,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 493,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,008,775.50. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 160,250 shares of company stock worth $5,027,225 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

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.