Photronics, Inc. (PLAB)

Photronics experienced several notable events in the past six months. On May 28, 2025, the company reported a 3% year-over-year decrease in revenue to $211 million and a significant drop in GAAP net income. Dr. Frank Lee stepped down as CEO, with George Macricostas taking over. On August 8, 2025, Photronics announced the installation of a new multi-beam mask writer in its Boise, Idaho facility. On August 27, 2025, the company reported flat sales of $210 million for Q3 2025. In June 2025, Photronics received an "Outstanding Contribution award from Visionox". The company participated in the 17th Annual CEO Investor Summit on October 7, 2025. As of October 27, 2025, the stock price was $24.03, with a 52-week high of $31.60 and a 52-week low of $16.46.

Photronics experiences seasonal demand patterns for its products. Demand for high-end integrated circuit (IC) and flat panel display (FPD) products has been favorable, while more mature mainstream masks have been impacted by general market softness. Photomask demand trends were favorable at the end of fiscal year 2024 and were cautiously optimistic to continue into 2025, driven by megatrends such as AI, supply chain regionalization, and edge computing. The demand for photomasks is primarily dependent on design activity rather than the sales volume of products using photomask technologies.

Photronics, Inc. is a global manufacturer of photomasks, essential for semiconductors and flat panel displays, operating in the Technology sector, specifically in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry. The company manufactures and sells high-precision quartz plates, known as photomasks, which contain microscopic images of electronic circuits. Photronics offers a range of products, including standard and leading-edge photomasks, advanced binary masks with Optical Proximity Correction (OPC), phase shift masks, and special-purpose masks like optical gratings. The company also provides services such as pellicle replacement, mask cleaning, mask recertification, and online data services.

Photronics has a global presence with 11 facilities in Asia, North America, and Europe, with its corporate headquarters in Brookfield, Connecticut, United States. Manufacturing locations for integrated circuit photomasks include Brookfield, Connecticut; Allen, Texas; Boise, Idaho (United States); Bridgend (United Kingdom); Dresden (Germany); Cheonan (Korea); Hsinchu and Taichung (Taiwan); and Xiamen (China). Flat panel display photomask facilities are in Cheonan (Korea), Taichung (Taiwan), and Hefei (China). Other office locations include Manchester (UK), Shanghai (China), and Singapore.

Photronics maintains a strong brand reputation as a global leader in the photomask industry, recognized for its specialized products and technological prowess. The company's commitment to innovation and manufacturing excellence has been a cornerstone of its reputation for over 50 years. In June 2025, Photronics received an "Outstanding Contribution award from Visionox". The company has also been highlighted in investment discussions as an "under the radar AI beneficiary". No significant negative events or controversies impacting Photronics' reputation have been reported in the past year.

The ownership structure of Photronics stock includes institutional investors holding approximately 60.52%, insiders owning about 3.39%, and public companies and individual investors holding around 36.09%. Major institutional owners include BlackRock, Inc., Vanguard Group Inc, Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp, LSV Asset Management, State Street Global Advisors, Inc., and American Century Companies Inc. GMT Capital Corp is the largest individual shareholder, owning 9.09% of the company.