In the latest trading session, Photronics (PLAB) closed at $9.67, marking a -0.31% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.33%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.44%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.01%.Prior to today's trading, shares of the electronics imaging company had gained 2.11% over the past month. This has outpaced the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 1.56% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.89% in that time.PLAB will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which 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.Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for PLAB. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection 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 20 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 16.95, so we one might conclude that PLAB is trading at a premium comparatively.Meanwhile, PLAB's PEG ratio is currently 2. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Semiconductor Equipment - Photomasks stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.88 based on yesterday's closing prices.The Semiconductor Equipment - Photomasks industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 105, which puts it in the top 41% of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. 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.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Photronics, Inc. (PLAB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.