Hsueh-Chun Wang Sells 19,250 Shares of Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Stock

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) COO Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 19,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.30, for a total value of $872,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 113,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,144,268. The trade was a 14.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hsueh-Chun Wang also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, April 9th, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 11,875 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.25, for a total value of $525,468.75.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.69, for a total value of $426,900.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Hsueh-Chun Wang sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total value of $420,800.00.

Photronics Stock Up 5.5%

PLAB opened at $48.38 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $38.98 and a 200 day moving average of $32.01. Photronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.59 and a 52-week high of $48.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Photronics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Photronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and guidance — Photronics reported $0.61 EPS vs. $0.54 expected and revenue above consensus, and management set Q2 FY26 guidance of $0.49–$0.55, which improves near‑term earnings visibility and supports the rally. MarketBeat Q4 and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and valuation narrative — Zacks upgraded PLAB to a stronger rank (strong‑buy) and other brokers have issued buy/strong‑buy notes; the stock is being viewed as attractively valued (below ~20x earnings vs. some peers), drawing buy interest. Zacks coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / screen recognition — Inclusion on Zacks’ value/strong‑buy screens and recent upward revision to consensus targets can attract momentum and institutional flows. Zacks list
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership — Roughly ~88% of the float is held by institutions; this can amplify moves when funds rebalance but also means price action is often driven by fundamentals and institutional flows rather than retail trading. Institutional holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — Multiple insiders have sold sizable blocks in mid‑April: COO Hsueh‑Chun Wang (19,250 shares at ~$45.30), Director Kang Jyh Lee (10,000 shares at ~$45.10), CFO Eric Rivera (small recent sale plus a ~41k sale earlier), and other directors/executives. These concentrated disposals are prompting short‑term selling pressure and media scrutiny. InsiderTrades alert COO Form 4 Director Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Media/analyst focus on cash‑outs — Coverage calling out the insider cash‑outs increases volatility and could deter some investors until insiders’ reasons (liquidity, diversification) are clarified. TipRanks discussion

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PLAB. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Photronics in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 1,293 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised 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 acquiring an additional 1,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Photronics by 723.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,417 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.