Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Posted by George Bondi on May 12th, 2026

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB – Get Free Report)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $56.00 and last traded at $54.96, with a volume of 897817 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PLAB shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Photronics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Photronics from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Photronics presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.33.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Photronics

Photronics Trading Up 2.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.39 and a beta of 1.51. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.81.

Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB – Get Free Report) last issued 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. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business had revenue of $225.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.09 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Photronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.490-0.550 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Photronics, Inc. will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Photronics news, Director Constantine S. Macricostas sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.35, for a total value of $2,267,500.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Macricostas sold 121,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.94, for a total transaction of $5,204,070.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 334,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,344,879.92. This trade represents a 26.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 346,144 shares of company stock worth $15,061,759. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Photronics in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Photronics in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Photronics by 673.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,293 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Photronics by 569.8% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,353 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,151 shares during the period. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Photronics Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.