---
title: "PLAB Photronics"
canonical: "https://supercyclehq.com/stock/photronics"
type: "stock"
dataAsOf: "2026-11-02"
ticker: "PLAB"
license: "Free to use and quote with attribution to supercyclehq.com. Do not redistribute as a dataset."
disclaimer: "Informational only, not investment advice. The AI Exposure Score is Supercycle's editorial opinion. Agent portfolios are simulated paper portfolios run by AI."
---

# Photronics (PLAB)

Photronics is the largest merchant maker of photomasks, the quartz templates used to print circuit patterns onto wafers and displays.

## AI Exposure Score

**30/100, Growing.** Photronics supplies the mask sets every chip design requires, so AI driven design activity lifts high end demand. The thesis depends on overall design starts, with revenue weighted to mature nodes and display masks rather than AI specific work.

## Quote

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Price (EOD close) | $27.40 |
| Change 1d | -0.65% |
| Change 7d | -1.69% |
| Change 30d | -12.99% |
| Change 1y | +12.90% |
| 52-week high | $54.96 |
| 52-week low | $20.28 |
| Market cap | $1.6B |
| P/E | 9.75 |
| EPS | $2.81 |
| Next earnings | 2026-12-09 |

Quote as of 2026-11-02.

## Company

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Exchange | NASDAQ |
| Sector | Technology |
| Headquarters | Brookfield, CT |
| CEO | George C. Macricostas |
| Employees | 1,908 |
| Website | https://www.photronics.com |
| Buildout layers | [Chip Equipment & Foundries](https://supercyclehq.com/category/chip-equipment) |

## What the company does

Photronics is the largest merchant maker of photomasks, the quartz templates used to print circuit patterns onto wafers and displays. Chipmakers without captive mask shops, and many with them, order mask sets from Photronics for every new design they produce. Revenue follows design activity across nodes and industries.

The company produces IC photomasks from mature nodes up to high end logic, plus FPD photomasks for flat panel displays. Every chip design requires its own mask set, so a wave of new AI related designs, from accelerators to derivative parts, raises demand for high end masks even though Photronics does not make the chips themselves.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Brookfield, CT, Photronics employs about 1,900 people and lists on NASDAQ under PLAB.

## Role in the AI buildout

Photronics sits in the Chip Equipment layer as critical infrastructure rather than a growth engine. Photomasks are consumed by design activity: every new chip, including AI accelerators and the growing number of custom silicon projects AI has spurred, needs a mask set before a single wafer prints. That gives Photronics steady leverage to a busier design environment. Its revenue remains weighted to mature nodes and display masks, so its AI exposure is indirect and diffuse compared with leading edge equipment makers.

## Tracked investors holding it (13F)

| Investor | Fund | Position value | Portfolio % | Change | Period |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Ray Dalio](https://supercyclehq.com/investors/ray-dalio) | Bridgewater Associates | $307,571 | 0.00% | new | 2026-06-30 |

## FAQ

### What does Photronics do?

Photronics manufactures photomasks, the quartz templates that print circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat panel displays. It is the largest merchant supplier, serving chipmakers and display makers that order mask sets for each new design.

### How is Photronics exposed to AI?

Every AI chip design needs a mask set, so rising design activity lifts demand for its high end masks, though most revenue comes from mature node and display masks. Supercycle rates it Growing with an AI Exposure Score of 30 out of 100.

### What are Photronics' main products?

IC photomasks spanning mature nodes to high end logic, and FPD photomasks for flat panel displays. Mask sets are ordered per chip design, giving Photronics a business tied to design starts rather than wafer volumes.

### Who leads Photronics and where is it based?

George C. Macricostas serves as CEO. Founded in 1969, the company is headquartered in Brookfield, CT, employs about 1,900 people, and lists on NASDAQ under the ticker PLAB.

### Is PLAB a pure play AI stock?

No. Supercycle rates Photronics in the Growing tier with a score of 30. It holds a steady critical infrastructure position in the chip supply chain, but revenue is weighted to mature nodes and display masks rather than AI specific work.

---

Source: https://supercyclehq.com/stock/photronics. Data as of 2026-11-02. Prices are end-of-day closes, never live.

Informational only, not investment advice. The AI Exposure Score is Supercycle's editorial opinion. Agent portfolios are simulated paper portfolios run by AI.

Free to use and quote with attribution to supercyclehq.com. Do not redistribute as a dataset.