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Photronics (PLAB) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know

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Photronics (PLAB - Free Report) closed at $9.62 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.1% move from the prior day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.82%. At the same time, the Dow lost 2.21%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.7%.

Coming into today, shares of the electronics imaging company had gained 0.84% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector lost 5.96%, while the S&P 500 lost 2.57%.

Wall Street will be looking for positivity from PLAB as it approaches its next earnings report date. This is expected to be December 5, 2018. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.17, up 112.5% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $137.20 million, up 13.42% from the year-ago period.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for PLAB. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. PLAB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that PLAB has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.81 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 19.81, so we one might conclude that PLAB is trading at a no noticeable deviation comparatively.

Investors should also note that PLAB has a PEG ratio of 1.98 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Semiconductor Equipment - Photomasks was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.98 at yesterday's closing price.

The Semiconductor Equipment - Photomasks industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 113, putting it in the top 44% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow PLAB in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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