Insider Selling: Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Director Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

April 18, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares on April 15 at $45.10 for $451,000, cutting his stake to 375,850 shares (a 2.59% ownership decline); he sold a total of 45,000 shares across six trades from mid‑March to mid‑April.
Other executives also executed sizable mid‑April sales — including COO Hsueh‑Chun Wang (19,250 shares) and prior CFO disposals (~41,000 shares) — creating a clustered insider selling pattern that could increase short‑term selling pressure and media scrutiny.
Despite the insider sales, Photronics beat Q4 expectations (EPS $0.61 vs. $0.54), set Q2 FY26 guidance of $0.49–$0.55, received analyst upgrades (consensus "Buy," $46.33 target) and saw the stock rise about 5.5%.

Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) Director Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.10, for a total transaction of $451,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 375,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,950,835. This trade represents a 2.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

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Kang Jyh Lee also recently made the following trade(s):

On Monday, April 13th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 5,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $225,000.00.
On Wednesday, April 8th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 5,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.27, for a total transaction of $216,350.00.
On Monday, April 6th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 5,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.53, for a total transaction of $202,650.00.
On Monday, March 23rd, Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.00, for a total transaction of $390,000.00.
On Thursday, March 19th, Kang Jyh Lee sold 10,000 shares of Photronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.80, for a total transaction of $358,000.00.

Photronics Stock Up 5.5%

Photronics stock opened at $48.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 1.43. Photronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.59 and a twelve month high of $48.55. The company's 50-day moving average price is $38.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.01.

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Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $225.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $220.09 million. Photronics had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Photronics News

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 Investors Weigh In On Photronics

Photronics Stock Setting Up Next Leg Higher

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of Photronics by 323.1% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 50,036 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,148,000 after buying an additional 38,209 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Photronics by 201.3% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 62,556 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,436,000 after buying an additional 41,791 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Photronics in the third quarter valued at approximately $864,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,017,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 106,069 shares in the last quarter. 88.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Photronics in a report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research raised Photronics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on Photronics in a report on Friday, March 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $46.00 price objective on the stock. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Photronics in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Photronics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Two research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Photronics presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $46.33.

View Our Latest Research Report on PLAB

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.