PLAB

Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET Executive Chairman — George Macricostas Chief Financial Officer — Eric Rivera President, Photronics Taiwan — KangJyh Lee Vice President, Investor Relations — Ted Moreau George Macricostas: Thank you, Ted, and good morning, everyone. In Q2, global photomask dynamics reflected a mix of supportive long-term drivers alongside temporary headwinds. Industry demand for leading-edge memory and logic chips for AI applications remains exceptionally strong. Manufacturing these chips requires a significant number of high-end photomasks, which creates a compelling multiyear growth opportunity for Photronics. We are taking several strategic actions to strengthen our position in this growing market, which I will discuss later in more detail. Importantly, as a reminder, photomask demand is more closely aligned with semiconductor design releases than to wafer starts. In the near-term, several factors have delayed design releases, including elevated fab utilization rates, memory supply constraints and geopolitical uncertainty. Eric will further elaborate on these factors. Given these unexpected near-term headwinds for certain chip design releases, the seasonal recovery following Chinese New Year has not occurred to the extent anticipated. As a result, our IC business decreased 5% year-over-year to $148 million, resulting in total fiscal Q2 revenue of $210 million, which was essentially flat year-over-year. Despite the near-term industry headwinds, we continue to execute against our investment priorities and strengthen our position in the robust high-end market segment. Our ongoing investments in our U.S. and Korea operations are designed to strengthen Photronics long-term competitive position as we expand site capabilities into more advanced technology nodes. Both expansion projects remain on track. And over the next several years, we expect these investments to help us capture photomask demand and support a more geographically diverse revenue base. Strategically, these investments align us with the industry's ongoing manufacturing regionalization trends. They also position us to benefit from increased outsourcing opportunities from captive photomask producers, which will further shift our product mix towards more advanced geometries that carry higher ASPs. At our Korea facility, we are preparing our clean...

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Total Revenue: $210 million, flat year-over-year. IC Revenue: $148 million, decreased 5% year-over-year. FPD Revenue: $62 million, increased 13% year-over-year. Gross Margin: 31%. Operating Margin: 20%. Diluted GAAP EPS: $0.54 per share. Non-GAAP Diluted EPS: $0.42 per share. Operating Cash Flow: $47 million, 22% of revenue. CapEx: $46 million, focused on Korean expansion and equipment installation. Total Cash and Short-term Investments: $638 million. Fiscal 2026 CapEx Guidance: $330 million. Fiscal Q3 Revenue Guidance: $207 million to $215 million. Fiscal Q3 Operating Margin Guidance: 18% to 20%. Fiscal Q3 Non-GAAP Diluted EPS Guidance: $0.39 to $0.45 per share. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Sign with LI. Is PLAB fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: May 28, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Photronics Inc (NASDAQ:PLAB) is experiencing strong demand for leading-edge memory and logic chips for AI applications, creating a multiyear growth opportunity. The company is making strategic investments in the US and Korea to strengthen its competitive position and expand capabilities into more advanced technology nodes. Photronics Inc (NASDAQ:PLAB) reported a 13% year-over-year increase in FPD revenue, driven by its capability to produce more complex, larger mask sizes and strong differentiation in AMOLED. The company's high-end US facility in Boise is qualified to produce masks at the 7-nanometer node, with ongoing work on even more advanced nodes. Photronics Inc (NASDAQ:PLAB) maintains a strong market share in Korea, with positive seasonality returning during fiscal Q2 after a slower start to the calendar year. The IC business decreased 5% year-over-year to $148 million, resulting in total fiscal Q2 revenue of $210 million, which was flat year-over-year. Several factors, including elevated fab utilization rates, memory supply constraints, and geopolitical uncertainty, have delayed design releases. The seasonal recovery following the Chinese New Year has not occurred to the extent anticipated, impacting near-term visibility. The semiconductor industry is experiencing higher-than-normal fab utilization rates, limiting capacity for additional design releases. The company faces limited visibility with a typi...

Interested in Photronics, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Photronics’ fiscal Q2 revenue was essentially flat at $210 million as a 13% jump in flat panel display photomask sales to $62 million offset a 5% decline in integrated circuit revenue to $148 million. Management said near-term IC demand was slowed by delayed design releases, citing high fab utilization, memory supply constraints, and geopolitical uncertainty, which dampened the usual post-Chinese New Year recovery. Despite softer near-term visibility, Photronics kept its growth investments on track, maintaining $330 million in fiscal 2026 capex guidance for expansion in the U.S. and Korea, while projecting Q3 revenue of $207 million to $215 million. AI Insider Selling: Sales Hit Photronics, Credo & CoreWeave as Shares Spike Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) reported fiscal second-quarter 2026 revenue that was roughly flat from a year earlier, as strength in its display photomask business offset a decline in integrated circuit revenue tied to delayed semiconductor design releases. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer George Macricostas said global photomask demand reflected “supportive long-term drivers alongside temporary headwinds.” He pointed to strong demand for leading-edge memory and logic chips used in artificial intelligence applications, which require a large number of high-end photomasks. However, he said several factors delayed design releases in the near term, including elevated fab utilization, memory supply constraints and geopolitical uncertainty. → Rocket Lab Keeps Making Headlines and Highs—Here's What's Driving the Latest Move AI & Quantum's Next Big Winners: 3 Small-Cap Stocks to Watch in 2026 “Given these unexpected near-term headwinds for certain chip design releases, the seasonal recovery following Chinese New Year has not occurred to the extent anticipated,” Macricostas said. Total revenue for the quarter was $210 million, essentially flat year over year. Integrated circuit revenue declined 5% from a year earlier to $148 million and represented 70% of total revenue. Within IC, high-end products accounted for 38% of revenue, while mainstream IC revenue was $91 million. → Quantum Stocks Just Got a Lifeline—Who Benefits Most? Buy the Dip: Top Tech Stocks Analysts Say Are Undervalued President and Chief Financial Officer Eric Rivera said revenue from foundry customers was affected...

Photronics (PLAB) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.42 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.53 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.4 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -20.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this electronics imaging company would post earnings of $0.54 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.61, delivering a surprise of +12.96%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Photronics, which belongs to the Zacks Semiconductor Equipment - Photomasks industry, posted revenues of $209.94 million for the quarter ended April 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.4%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $210.99 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Photronics shares have added about 67.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 9.9%. While Photronics has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Photronics was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's...

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Semiconductor photomask manufacturer Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) will be announcing earnings results this Thursday morning. Here’s what to expect. Photronics beat analysts’ revenue expectations last quarter, reporting revenues of $225.1 million, up 6.1% year on year. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates. Is Photronics a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it’s free for active Edge members. This quarter, the market is expecting Photronics’s revenue to grow 2.4% year on year, a reversal from the 2.8% decrease it recorded in the same quarter last year. The majority of analysts covering the company have reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Photronics has missed Wall Street’s revenue estimates multiple times over the last two years. Looking at Photronics’s peers in the semiconductor manufacturing segment, some have already reported their Q1 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Kulicke and Soffa delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 49.8%, beating analysts’ expectations by 5.5%, and Semtech reported revenues up 15.9%, topping estimates by 2.6%. Kulicke and Soffa traded up 4.7% following the results. Read our full analysis of Kulicke and Soffa’s results here and Semtech’s results here. There has been positive sentiment among investors in the semiconductor manufacturing segment, with share prices up 27.9% on average over the last month. Photronics is up 6.7% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $51.50 (compared to the current share price of $54.85). ONE MORE THING: 3 Hidden Platforms Growing 3X Faster than Amazon, Google, and PayPal. Amazon, Google, and Meta all followed the same playbook: Dominate an ignored market. Build an unbeatable moat. Scale until you’re unstoppable. These three platforms are running that exact playbook right now. The early investors in Amazon made fortunes. The early investors in these could do the same. Get All 3 Stocks Here for FREE.

Photronics PLAB is set to report its second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on May 28.For the to-be-reported quarter, PLAB expects revenues between $212 million and $220 million. Non-GAAP earnings are expected to be between 49 cents and 55 cents per share.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $217.32 million, suggesting a 3% year-over-year rise. The consensus mark for earnings is pinned at 53 cents per share, down 1 penny over the past 30 days, indicating 32.5% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.The company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing once, with the average surprise being 13.68%. Photronics, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Photronics, Inc. Quote Let’s see how things are likely to have shaped up before this announcement. Photronics' second-quarter fiscal 2026 results are likely to have been influenced by continued strength in high-end IC demand. The company stated that order demand remained healthy for masks supporting AI-driven chip packaging applications and High-NA EUV development projects, partially offsetting the seasonal impact of the Chinese New Year holiday.China is likely to have remained a major growth driver during the quarter. Management noted increasing migration by Chinese customers toward 22nm and 28nm technologies, resulting in additional tape-outs and stronger demand for advanced photomasks. The company also emphasized its strong competitive positioning in China’s high-end market, where customer qualification barriers remain high for new entrants.The company’s high-end product mix is likely to have supported margins in the fiscal second quarter of 2026. High-end masks carry significantly higher ASPs and contribute meaningfully to profitability. Photronics also continued maximizing utilization at its Boise facility while preparing the Allen expansion project to support mainstream production and free up capacity for advanced-node opportunities.Flat Panel Display performance was also likely aided by strong mainstream demand tied to China’s IT display market. The company stated that larger-sized display projects aligned well with its manufacturing strengths. Growing adoption of AMOLED and emerging G8.6 technologies likely further supported advanced FPD mask demand.However, the second-quarter fiscal 2026 performance was likely affected by s...

Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Photronics (PLAB) reports results for the quarter ended April 2026. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The earnings report, which is expected to be released on May 28, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. This electronics imaging company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.53 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +32.5%. Revenues are expected to be $217.32 million, up 3% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant...

BROOKFIELD, Conn., May 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Photronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLAB), a worldwide leader in photomask technologies and solutions, is scheduled to announce financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 on Thursday, May 28, 2026, before the market opens. Photronics will host a public conference call the same day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. During the call, company management will respond to questions concerning, but not limited to, the company’s financial performance, business conditions, and industry outlook. Some responses may contain information not previously disclosed. The call will be broadcast live and on-demand on the Events and Presentations link on the Photronics website. Analysts and investors who wish to participate in the Q&A portion of the call should click here: Conference Registration. It is suggested that participants register fifteen minutes prior to the call’s scheduled start time. About Photronics Photronics is a leading worldwide manufacturer of integrated circuit (IC) and flat panel display (FPD) photomasks. High precision quartz plates that contain microscopic images of electronic circuits, photomasks are a key element in the IC and FPD manufacturing process. Founded in 1969, Photronics has been a trusted photomask supplier for over 56 years. The company operates 11 strategically located manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Additional information can be accessed at www.photronics.com. For Further Information: Ted Moreau VP, Investor Relations [email protected]

Director Kang Jyh Lee reported the sale of 10,000 shares of Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) on April 15, 2026, according to a SEC Form 4 filing. Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($45.10); post-transaction value based on April 15, 2026 market close ($45.10). How does the size of this sale compare to Kang Jyh Lee's historical trading activity? The 10,000-share sale is only slightly below the historical mean sale size of 11,644 shares per transaction, suggesting the transaction is in line with the established selling pattern. What proportion of remaining capacity does this trade represent? With 375,850 shares remaining directly after the sale, this transaction utilized 2.59% of available direct common stock holdings. Did the transaction involve any indirect holdings, trusts, or derivative securities? No; the activity was limited solely to direct ownership of Common Stock, with no participation by trusts or the exercise of options. Is there any indication of a shift in cadence or an acceleration in the selling pattern? Sell-only trades have occurred regularly, and the trade size remains consistent with the historical average, indicating no abnormal escalation beyond what is explained by reduced holdings capacity. *1-year performance calculated using April 15, 2026 as the reference date. Photronics manufactures and sells photomask products used in the production of integrated circuits and flat panel displays, serving global semiconductor and electronics markets. The firm generates revenue primarily through the sale of photomasks, which are critical consumables in semiconductor and display fabrication, supporting both volume manufacturing and advanced technology nodes. Main customers include semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturers, designers, foundries, and other high-performance electronics producers worldwide. Photronics is a leading supplier of photomasks, essential components in the semiconductor and display manufacturing process. The company leverages a global footprint to serve major electronics and semiconductor manufacturers, supporting both legacy and advanced technology requirements. This director’s recent sale doesn’t seem to signal any loss of confidence. Given past selling, the move seems routine, with consistent sizing and no urgency that suggests a departure from past practices. More importantly, the core business is performi...

Make better investment decisions with Simply Wall St's easy, visual tools that give you a competitive edge. Photronics (PLAB) is back in focus after reporting quarterly results with 6.1% year on year revenue growth, topping earnings expectations and reinforcing management’s message around facility expansion and a more diversified geographic revenue mix. See our latest analysis for Photronics. The quarterly beat comes after a mixed stretch for the shares, with a 1 day share price return of 2.10% and a 30 day share price return decline of 8.74%, but a 1 year total shareholder return of 65.24% and a 5 year total shareholder return of 201.62%, showing that longer term momentum has remained strong. If Photronics has you watching the semiconductor cycle more closely, this could be a good moment to see what else is shaping chip demand through the 34 AI infrastructure stocks With the stock up 65.2% over the past year but trading at a discount to the average analyst price target, the key question is whether Photronics is still misunderstood or if the market is already pricing in future growth. Photronics' most followed narrative puts fair value at $48 per share, compared with the last close at $35.41. This frames the debate around how much future earnings power is already in the price. Read the complete narrative. Curious how that $48 figure comes together? The narrative leans on a specific blend of revenue growth, rising margins, and a higher future earnings multiple. The exact mix may surprise you. Result: Fair Value of $48 (UNDERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, you still need to weigh chunky capital spending and exposure to Asian trade tensions, either of which could pressure cash flow and unsettle the valuation story. Find out about the key risks to this Photronics narrative. The fair value narrative points to $48 per share and a 26.2% gap to the current $35.41 price, but the SWS DCF model tells a different story. On that cash flow view, Photronics is trading above an estimated value of $19.07, which frames the stock as overvalued instead. Which lens do you trust more for your own work on the company? Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value. Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out Photronics for example). We show the ent...