Sifting through countless of stocks in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc.

Synaptics Incorporated develops, markets, and sells semiconductor products worldwide. The company provides touch, display, biometrics, voice, audio, processor, wireless, and multimedia products for mobile, personal computers, smart home, industrial, and automotive applications, as well as modular development kits, open software frameworks, and optimized AI/ML toolchains. It also offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, global positioning system, global navigation satellite system, ultra-wideband and ultra-low energy solutions, human interface products, organic light-emitting diodes, multimedia SoCs, fax/modem/printer processors, video interface ICs, DisplayLink graphics, and display driver ICs (DDIC); Astra and Veros, an AI solution; and DisplayLink and DisplayPort to simplify connectivity to external displays. In addition, it provides Natural ID, a fingerprint ID product for notebook, personal computer peripherals, automobiles, and other applications, as well as integrated touch and display, local dimming, and driver sensing technologies. The company sells its products through direct sales, outside sales representatives, OEM distributors, and value-added resellers. Synaptics Incorporated was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

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. It offers photomasks that are used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and flat panel displays (FPDs); and to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers, and FDP substrates. The company offers electrical and optical components. It sells its products to semiconductor and FPD designers, manufacturers, 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 incorporated in 1969 and is based in Brookfield, Connecticut.

Latest Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics, Inc. Stock News

As of December 11, 2025, Synaptics Incorporated had a $3.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment median of $2.8 million. Synaptics Incorporated’s stock is up 5.5% in 2025, up 6% in the previous five trading days and down 2.22% in the past year.

Currently, Synaptics Incorporated does not have a price-earnings ratio. Synaptics Incorporated’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.1 billion with a -4.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.337 per share for the current fiscal year. Synaptics Incorporated does not currently pay a dividend.

As of December 11, 2025, Photronics, Inc. had a $2.3 billion market cap, putting it in the 58th percentile of all stocks. Photronics, Inc.’s stock is up 68.4% in 2025, up 65.2% in the previous five trading days and up 53.58% in the past year.

Currently, Photronics, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 22.4. Photronics, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $856.2 million with a 16.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -0.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.150 per share for the current fiscal year. Photronics, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Synaptics Incorporated	SYNA	D
Photronics, Inc.	PLAB	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Synaptics Incorporated has a Growth Score of 38, which is Weak. Photronics, Inc. has a Growth Score of 87, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Photronics, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Photronics, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Synaptics Incorporated. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Photronics, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Synaptics Incorporated	SYNA	B
Photronics, Inc.	PLAB	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Synaptics Incorporated has a Quality Score of 80, which is Strong. Photronics, Inc. has a Quality Score of 88, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Photronics, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Photronics, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than Synaptics Incorporated. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Photronics, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Synaptics Incorporated	SYNA	C
Photronics, Inc.	PLAB	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Synaptics Incorporated has a Momentum Score of 53, which is Average. Photronics, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 57, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Growth and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Synaptics Incorporated stock has a Growth Score of 38, Momentum Score of 53 and Quality Score of 80.

Photronics, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 87, Momentum Score of 57 and Quality Score of 88.

Comparing Synaptics Incorporated, Photronics and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.