PLAB NASDAQ Week ended 24 Jul 2026

Weekly Investor Report

Photronics Inc · Technology · Semiconductor Equipment & Materials

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Latest close 30.33 USD
5.1% latest week
Weekly setup

Weak trend

The weekly trend is not active. Price is -19.6% below the Trend Line and sits at 29.8% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned 5.1%, after a -1.2% four-week move. The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth is moderate; valuation is inexpensive relative to peers. Options positioning is bullish with 34/100 conviction, while the latest news-sentiment score is 36/100. Near-term considerations: volume confirmation is below normal; earnings are due in 27d.

Setup score 27 out of 100
Latest Close 30.33 USD 24 Jul 2026
1W Return 5.1% latest completed week
4W Return -1.2% short-term follow-through
12W Return -39.5% quarterly tape
Trend Breadth 76.9% 40 of 52 weeks active
Volume Ratio 0.6x vs 13-week average
What is working
  • Price is above Fair Value, showing premium demand versus the model.
What could go wrong
  • The trend backdrop is inactive, so price action has not confirmed a constructive regime.
  • Price is below the Trend Line, which keeps downside pressure in focus.
  • Activity pressure is negative, which weakens the current setup.
  • Activity pressure is weak, so confirmation is not yet broad enough.
What to watch next
  • Trend Line remains the key weekly regime level.
  • Activity pressure is the gauge to monitor for confirmation or fade.
  • A volume ratio above 1.5x would show stronger participation in the next move.
Price follow-through 5.1% Latest completed week; four-week move -1.2%. Indicator stack 42/27 Trend and activity pressure are weighted against the latest 12-week confirmation window. Trend backdrop Active The trend backdrop defines the current weekly regime. Patient Capital Quiet Activity-pressure buy-signal status for institutional accumulation timing. Options pressure Bullish 34/100 conviction; expected move 14.1%. News sentiment 36/100 62 relevant articles in the latest sentiment read. Event risk 27d Next report is scheduled for 26 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
01 · Price action

Where price is—and whether the trend supports it

The weekly trend is not active. Price is -19.6% below the Trend Line and sits at 29.8% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned 5.1%, after a -1.2% four-week move.

Study the full chart

52-week price path

Price vs Trend Line and Fair Value
Price Trend Line Fair Value
02 · Volume and demand

Is real participation confirming the move?

Latest weekly volume is 0.6x the 13-week average. Participation is below its recent norm, so price strength is not receiving full volume confirmation.

26-week volume confirmation

Bar height shows volume; colour shows the weekly price direction
30 Jan 6 Feb 13 Feb 20 Feb 27 Feb 6 Mar 13 Mar 20 Mar 27 Mar 3 Apr 10 Apr 17 Apr 24 Apr 1 May 8 May 15 May 22 May 29 May 5 Jun 12 Jun 19 Jun 26 Jun 3 Jul 10 Jul 17 Jul 24 Jul
Up week Down week
Demand beneath price

Activity pressure and institutional-style signals

These indicators assess whether participation is improving beneath the headline price move. They are supporting evidence, not proof of institutional buying.

Activity pressure path

Latest 0.3112-week average 0.66

12-week confirmation

Trend active5/12Active trend-backdrop weeks in the latest 12-week window.
Positive pressure5/12Weeks with constructive activity pressure in the latest 12-week window.
Positive leadership3/12Weeks with positive relative leadership in the latest 12-week window.
Activity pressure0.31Current proprietary activity-pressure read.
Buy signals0Accumulation signal count in the latest 12 weeks.
Reversal markers55 reversal markers

No recent accumulation markers. 5 reversal markers.

03 · Momentum and leadership

Is performance persistent—and is the stock leading?

Performance is -1.2% over four weeks, -39.5% over 12 weeks, and 53.8% over one year. The current trend has remained active for 0 consecutive weeks.

Performance by holding period

1W5.1%
4W-1.2%
12W-39.5%
26W-12.6%
52W53.8%
Active trend streak0 weeks
Active weeks in one year40
Trend breadth76.9%

Activity pressure vs relative leadership

Activity pressureRelative leadership
Pressure-1.17Latest activity-pressure read.
Pressure change-23.0%Four-week change in activity pressure.
Leadership-12.38Latest relative-leadership reading.
RS change6.7%Four-week change in relative leadership.
04 · Fundamentals and valuation

What investors are paying for—and the quality behind it

The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth is moderate; valuation is inexpensive relative to peers.

Open full factor analysis
Factor week 26 Jul 2026 Financial statements through 31 Oct 2025 Field coverage 97% Model confidence 97%

Relative factor standing

Higher display scores are better. Each score is converted from the underlying universe rank, where rank 1 is best.

Overall factor strength99/100Blend of value, momentum, and quality. Underlying universe rank 2; rank 1 is best.
Value95/100Relative valuation strength. Underlying universe rank 6; rank 1 is best.
Quality87/100Profitability and accounting quality. Underlying universe rank 14; rank 1 is best.
Momentum87/100Medium-term price momentum. Underlying universe rank 14; rank 1 is best.
Growth80/100Revenue and earnings growth. Underlying universe rank 21; rank 1 is best.
How to read this

Quality and valuation are separate questions

A strong company can still carry a demanding valuation. This report shows profitability, growth, balance-sheet strength, and the price paid for those characteristics separately.

Value-quality framework84/100Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.

Valuation

How much investors are paying for earnings, sales, and cash flow.

P/E
11.2x
Price divided by trailing earnings.
Price / sales
2.1x
Market value relative to trailing revenue.
EV / EBITDA
5.4x
Enterprise value relative to operating cash earnings.
Free-cash-flow yield
27.0%
Free cash flow as a share of enterprise value.

Business quality

Margins and the return generated on invested capital.

Gross margin
33.8%
Gross profit retained from each unit of revenue.
Operating margin
28.2%
Operating profit retained from revenue.
Free-cash-flow margin
54.4%
Free cash flow generated from revenue.
Return on invested capital
28.8%
Operating return generated on invested capital.

Growth and financial strength

Recent business growth and accounting strength.

Revenue growth
0.5%
Latest one-year revenue growth.
EPS growth
32.6%
Latest one-year earnings-per-share growth.
Free-cash-flow growth
12.3%
Latest one-year free-cash-flow growth.
Piotroski F-score
5/9
Nine-point accounting-strength checklist.

Shareholder return and balance sheet

Cash returned to owners and financial leverage.

Dividend yield
-
Cash dividends relative to market value.
Buyback yield
1.2%
Net share repurchases relative to market value.
Shareholder yield
1.2%
Dividend yield plus net buyback yield.
Net debt / EBITDA
-1.6x
Balance-sheet debt relative to operating cash earnings.
05 · Ownership, options, and sentiment

What other market participants are doing

Options, insider transactions, market sentiment, and activity-pressure signals can confirm or challenge the price story. None should be used alone.

Options positioningBullish

PLAB shows bullish options pressure with a 34/100 conviction score, put-call volume ratio of 0.31, expected move of 14.1%, and Sharemaestro trend signal inactive.

Conviction34/100
Expected move14.1%
Put/call volume0.31
Pressure53
Speculation6
Volatility86
Trend agreement8
Open options detail
Insider activity0 / 7

0 acquisitions and 7 disposals in the latest 180-day insider tape.

Acquisitions / disposals over the latest 180 days. Insider activity is context, not a stand-alone signal.
News sentiment36/100

Weighted news tone is negative across 62 relevant articles.

9 positive · 22 neutral · 31 negative
Patient CapitalQuiet

Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.

No recent buy signal
06 · Catalysts and risk

What can move the shares—and how volatile the path has been

Event timing, options-implied movement, drawdown, and weekly return distribution frame the risk around the current setup.

Next earnings27dNext report is scheduled for 26 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
Options expected move14.1%Nearest-chain priced movement where available.
52-week drawdown-45.8%Distance below the 52-week high.
13-week volatility11.6%Standard deviation of weekly returns.

Weekly gains and losses

Latest 26 completed weeks

Each bar is one week. Gains rise above the zero line; losses fall below it. Taller bars mean a larger weekly move.

Weeks higher15 of 2611 weeks finished lower.
Best week+9.9%Week of 10 Apr.
Worst week-37.1%Week of 29 May.
Latest week+5.1%Week of 24 Jul.

Shape of recent returns

Strong gains11
Modest gains4
Flat weeks0
Modest losses4
Sharp losses7
Recent vol11.6%13-week weekly-return volatility.
Base vol10.4%52-week weekly-return volatility.
Up/down split30/22Count of positive and negative weeks in the 52-week window.
Average skew6.8% / -6.0%Average positive week versus average negative week.
07 · Sector and peer context

Is this stock leading—or simply moving with its group?

Sector and industry breadth distinguish company-specific strength from a broad group move.

08 · Evidence and weekly data

The underlying research record

Every top-level statement above should be traceable to a stored market, fundamental, event, or positioning observation.

Weekly tape30/100

Trend, activity pressure, participation, and risk combine to a 30/100 tape read.

 Indicator analysis30/100

Latest 12-week confirmation: trend 5/12, activity pressure 5/12, relative leadership 3/12.

Activity pressure 0.31; 5 reversal markers Factors91/100

O'Shaughnessy factor stack blends value, quality, momentum, and confidence.

Buyback Yield rank 29; Small Cap Core rank 17 SVQF84/100

Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.

Composite rank 115.0 of 726 Patient CapitalQuiet

Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.

No recent buy signal Options41/100

PLAB shows bullish options pressure with a 34/100 conviction score, put-call volume ratio of 0.31, expected move of 14.1%, and Sharemaestro trend signal inactive.

Bullish · Call-side pressure · Expected move 14.1% Sentiment36/100

Weighted news tone is negative across 62 relevant articles.

Hagens Berman Notifies Shareholders of Photronics, Inc. Insiders0 / 7

0 acquisitions and 7 disposals in the latest 180-day insider tape.

 Earnings27d

Next report is scheduled for 26 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
WeekCloseReturnTrend LineFair ValuePressureLeadershipVolumeTrend
24 Jul 202630.33 USD5.1%37.72 USD26.50 USD-1.17-12.384.3MOff
17 Jul 202628.85 USD-3.5%37.83 USD26.47 USD-1.13-17.704.5MOff
10 Jul 202629.90 USD3.6%37.97 USD26.45 USD-1.06-18.036.6MOff
3 Jul 202628.86 USD-6.0%38.19 USD26.43 USD-1.04-19.265.4MOff
26 Jun 202630.69 USD-8.7%38.03 USD26.40 USD-0.95-13.279.2MOff
19 Jun 202633.63 USD5.8%37.77 USD26.37 USD-0.81-8.927.2MOff
12 Jun 202631.78 USD9.0%37.35 USD26.30 USD-0.38-11.267.7MOff
5 Jun 202629.15 USD-9.9%37.00 USD26.25 USD0.06-16.4314.0MOn
29 May 202632.35 USD-37.1%36.75 USD26.21 USD0.52-11.1919.0MOn
22 May 202651.46 USD2.9%36.47 USD26.14 USD0.8446.014.0MOn
15 May 202650.02 USD-6.7%35.55 USD25.95 USD0.9345.554.1MOn
8 May 202653.64 USD6.9%34.65 USD25.74 USD0.9557.513.3MOn
1 May 202650.16 USD-4.0%33.59 USD25.49 USD0.8657.643.7MOn
24 Apr 202652.27 USD8.0%32.73 USD25.27 USD0.6569.224.8MOn
How to use this report

This is a completed-week research summary. It explains the available evidence and its conflicts; it does not predict a guaranteed outcome or replace your own risk assessment. Fundamental figures may refer to an earlier financial reporting period, which is shown above.