PLAB Photronics, Inc.
$51.46
Cyclical & Capital-Intensive 80%
Normalized Earnings × Cycle Multiple
Moderate · Conviction

Overvalued

Trading 17.6% above fair value

You pay $51.46
Bear $35.36
Fair $43.75
Bull $52.13
Bear $35.36 -31.3% $2.03 × 12x + net cash
Fair $43.75 -15.0% $2.03 × 16x + net cash
Bull $52.13 +1.3% $2.03 × 20x + net cash

Key Value Driver

Through-cycle normalized EPS ($2.03)

Implied Market Multiple 25.3x

Summary

Our base-case estimate uses Normalized Earnings × Cycle Multiple. We then blend that result with the average analyst price target of $49.33 from 11 analysts, using a 20% weight on analyst consensus. That produces an estimated intrinsic value of $43.75 per share.

Warnings

Price-to-book value of 2.6x is above the normal range for this type of business (0.7x-2.0x). The stock may already price in a strong cycle.
This company has heavy ongoing investment costs. Valuation shortcuts that ignore those costs can make the stock look cheaper than it really is.

Key Risks

  • Standard 10-year DCF produces unreliable terminal values for cyclicals
  • 'Cheap' P/E at cycle peak is the most common value trap — normalize first
  • Captive finance subsidiaries have different risk profiles from manufacturing