BROOKFIELD, Conn., Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Photronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLAB), a worldwide leader in photomask technologies and solutions, today announced the appointment of Jeff Catlin as the company’s Senior Vice President, Global Sales. Mr. Catlin will serve as the head of sales for Photronics, driving a unified strategy that will align all sales teams. Mr. Catlin brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the semiconductor industry, including over 10 years of building and managing g ...

BROOKFIELD, Conn., Jan. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Photronics, Inc. (Nasdaq:PLAB), a worldwide leader in photomask technologies and solutions, announced today the appointment of Michelle Almeida to the company’s Board of Directors effective January 1, 2026. Ms. Almeida will serve as an independent director. “Michelle brings strong leadership experience and a thoughtful, strategic perspective that will complement the skills and experience of our Board,” said George Macricostas, Chairman and CEO of Photroni ...

Key Takeaways Use a Zacks screen to find the best #1 (Strong Buy) stocks to buy to start 2026.Buy soaring, top-ranked AI-boosted chip stock PLAB for big upside.The bulls are fighting to push the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to all-time highs heading into Q4 earnings season, which kicks off next week.The 2026 earnings outlook is robust, with expansion projected in nearly every pocket of the economy. On top of that, the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates again in 2026. These two pillars create a ...

Group 1: Company Overview - Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAB) is recognized as one of the 10 most undervalued semiconductor stocks to invest in, following a strong earnings report and consecutive analyst upgrades [1] - The company specializes in manufacturing semiconductor chips and provides photomasks that contain microscopic images of the circuits printed on these chips [3] Group 2: Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - D.A. Davidson analyst Thomas Diffely maintained a Buy rating on Photronics and raised the price target from $30 to $45 [1] - Craig-Hallum analyst Christian Schwab also assigned a Buy rating with a price target of $42 on the same day [1] Group 3: Market Dynamics and Company Strategy - The company is experiencing strong momentum, with its stock price doubling in less than a month due to favorable market conditions [2] - Management indicated that they prioritize production for higher-margin products, specifically 22nm and 28nm technologies, to mitigate pricing pressures [2] - Customers have adapted to supply chain disruptions caused by tariffs and geopolitical issues, leading to improved order planning [3]

Semiconductor Industry Overview - The global probe card market is projected to reach $2.656 billion in revenue in 2024, with a CAGR of 7.45% from 2025 to 2031 [5] - The global MEMS probe card market is expected to reach $1.987 billion in revenue in 2024, accounting for 74.8% of the total probe card market [8] - The global photomask market is anticipated to reach $6.238 billion in revenue in 2024, with a CAGR of 4.63% from 2025 to 2031 [15] Probe Card Market Rankings - FormFactor leads the global semiconductor probe card market with a revenue of $625.96 million in 2024, representing a 25.72% year-over-year growth and a market share of 23.57% [11] - Technoprobe S.p.A. follows closely with a revenue of $613.51 million in 2024, showing a year-over-year growth of 20.89% and a market share of 23.10% [11] - MPI Corporation experienced significant growth of 54.55%, reaching $223.18 million in revenue in 2024, with a market share of 8.40% [11] Photomask Market Rankings - Photronics is the leading company in the photomask market with a revenue of $866.95 million in 2024, although it shows a decline of 2.82% year-over-year [18] - Toppan ranks second with a revenue of $752.09 million, reflecting a growth of 3.15% [18] - The "Other" category in the photomask market accounts for a significant share, with revenues increasing from $2,526.23 million in 2023 to $2,709.28 million in 2024, a growth of 7.25% [18] Market Growth Projections - The semiconductor industry is expected to see continued growth, with the probe card market and photomask market both showing positive trends in revenue and market share [5][15] - The overall semiconductor consumables market is projected to expand, driven by advancements in technology and increasing demand across various applications [20]

Core Insights - Photronics, Inc. is a key player in the semiconductor equipment industry, specializing in photomask technologies essential for semiconductor manufacturing [1] Financial Performance - The company reported an EPS of $0.60 for the quarter ending December 10, 2025, exceeding the estimated $0.47, resulting in a 27.66% earnings surprise [2] - Revenue for the quarter was approximately $215.77 million, surpassing the estimated $204.54 million by 4.45%, although it represents a slight decrease from $222.63 million in the same period last year [3] Market Position and Strategy - The strong performance in the fourth quarter, particularly in the U.S., is supported by positive forecasts from U.S. customers, which align with the company's investment plans in the region [4] - Expansion in Korea is expected to diversify the geographic revenue mix and enhance involvement in leading-edge chip designs [4] Financial Metrics - The company has a P/E ratio of approximately 15.17, indicating market valuation of its earnings, and a price-to-sales ratio of about 2.57 [5] - A low debt-to-equity ratio of nearly 0.000015 reflects minimal reliance on debt financing, showcasing a strong financial position [5]

Photronics (NasdaqGS:PLAB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call December 10, 2025 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsTed Moreau - Head of Investor RelationsGeorge Macricostas - CEOFrank Lee - Head of Asia OperationsEric Rivera - CFOChris Progler - CTOConference Call ParticipantsNone - AnalystChristian Schwa - AnalystNone - AnalystOperatorFor today, and thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Photronics fourth quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are on the listen-only mode. ...

Photronics (NasdaqGS:PLAB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call December 10, 2025 08:30 AM ET Speaker4For today, and thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Photronics fourth quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are on the listen-only mode. After the speaker's presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session. To ask a question during the session, you will need to press star 11 on your telephone. You will then hear an automated message advising your hand is raised ...

Investor Presentation December 2025 PHOTRONICS Safe Harbor Statement PHOTRONICS This presentation and some of our comments during this presentation may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events, our future financial performance, and/or the future performance of the industry. These statements are predictions and contain risks and uncertainties. We refer you to the risk factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 and other subseque ...

Company Overview - Photronics, Inc. (PLAB) is a leading manufacturer of photomasks, essential for producing integrated circuits (ICs) and flat panel displays (FPDs) [2] - The company operates in two segments: IC photomasks for semiconductors and FPD photomasks for displays [2] Financial Performance - As of September 10th, PLAB's share was trading at $22.01, with a trailing P/E of 12.44 [1] - The top five customers, including UMC, Samsung, and SMIC, account for approximately 50% of revenue, indicating both dependency and stability [5] - Gross margins are around 35%, and operating margins exceed 25%, supported by operating leverage and high-value EUV mask sets [5] - Free cash flow is expected to normalize between $80–110 million, yielding 9–12% relative to current enterprise value [5] Competitive Landscape - The competitive landscape is concentrated but global, with competitors such as Hoya Corporation, Dai Nippon Printing, and LG Innoteck [4] - PLAB maintains leading positions through technological investment and proximity to customers, ensuring efficient demand fulfillment [4] Business Strategy - PLAB benefits from significant capital intensity and high fixed costs, creating a modest moat [3] - The company plans to invest $200 million in CapEx for 2025, ensuring rapid delivery through a global network of production facilities [3] - PLAB's neutral, third-party position allows it to serve multiple fabs simultaneously, mitigating demand volatility from any single customer [3] Growth Potential - Future growth is supported by ongoing semiconductor specialization, reshoring efforts, and the expanding AI data center market [6] - Recent management changes at the CEO and CFO level have demonstrated shareholder-friendly actions, including share repurchases [6] - Overall, PLAB is viewed as a compelling, undervalued opportunity with attractive cash flow and long-term growth potential [7]