Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) Short Interest Down 21.4% in December

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,256,118 shares, a decline of 21.4% from the November 30th total of 5,417,653 shares. Approximately 7.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,922,925 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,922,925 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 7.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Photronics news, SVP Han Kyung Park sold 13,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.99, for a total value of $522,362.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 89,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,390,607.50. This trade represents a 13.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mary Paladino sold 42,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.00, for a total transaction of $1,026,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 33,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $811,152. This trade represents a 55.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 160,250 shares of company stock valued at $5,027,225 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Photronics

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PLAB. Boston Partners grew its position in Photronics by 2.9% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 826,718 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $15,706,000 after acquiring an additional 23,037 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its position in Photronics by 17.2% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,607,874 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $49,106,000 after purchasing an additional 383,355 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in Photronics by 201.3% during the third 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. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Photronics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $648,000. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Photronics by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 204,238 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,240,000 after purchasing an additional 28,345 shares during the period. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Photronics Stock Up 2.2%

NASDAQ PLAB traded up $0.73 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $33.70. 925,711 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 786,646. Photronics has a 12-month low of $16.46 and a 12-month high of $39.80. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.07. The company has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.72 and a beta of 1.54.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The semiconductor company reported $0.60 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $215.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.54 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Photronics’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Photronics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.510-0.590 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Photronics will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on PLAB. DA Davidson raised their price objective 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. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on Photronics from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Singular Research raised shares of Photronics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $43.50.

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.