Lasertec (OTCMKTS:LSRCF) & Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) Head-To-Head Analysis

Lasertec (OTCMKTS:LSRCF) and Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Lasertec and Photronics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lasertec	0	0	0	0	N/A
Photronics	0	1	1	0	2.50

Photronics has a consensus price target of $21.00, suggesting a potential downside of 3.45%. Given Photronics’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Photronics is more favorable than Lasertec.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

83.4% of Photronics shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Photronics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Lasertec and Photronics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lasertec	N/A	N/A	N/A
Photronics	13.48%	10.72%	8.82%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lasertec and Photronics’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lasertec	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Photronics	$824.55 million	1.65	$118.79 million	$1.92	11.33

Photronics has higher revenue and earnings than Lasertec.

Summary

Photronics beats Lasertec on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lasertec

Lasertec Corporation engages in the designing, manufacturing, and sale of inspection and measurement equipment in Japan and internationally. The company offers semiconductor related products, which includes mask related systems for extreme ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet solutions, and wafers inspection and review systems; and FPD photomask inspection systems. It also provides laser microscopes, electro-chemical reaction visualizing confocal, and coating thickness scanning system; and in-situ observation at ultra high temperature confocal scanning laser microscope. The company was formerly known as NJS Corporation and changed its name to Lasertec Corporation in 1986. Lasertec Corporation was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan.

About Photronics

Photronics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of photomask products and services in the United States, Taiwan, China, Korea, Europe, and internationally. The company offers photomasks that are used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and flat panel displays (FPDs); and to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers, FDP substrates, and various types of electrical and optical components. It sells its products to semiconductor and FPD manufacturers, designers, and foundries, as well as to other high-performance electronics manufacturers through its sales personnel and customer service representatives. The company was formerly known as Photronic Labs, Inc. and changed its name to Photronics, Inc. in 1990. Photronics, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is based in Brookfield, Connecticut.