Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on PRLB. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Proto Labs from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Proto Labs in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Proto Labs currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.33.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PRLB opened at $66.53 on Wednesday. Proto Labs has a fifty-two week low of $29.58 and a fifty-two week high of $68.91. The company has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.60 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $54.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.13.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.09. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 3.98%.The company had revenue of $136.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $129.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. Proto Labs’s revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Proto Labs has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.360-0.440 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Proto Labs will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Proto Labs

In related news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 2,500 shares of Proto Labs stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $150,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 34,526 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,560. The trade was a 6.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al grew its stake in Proto Labs by 79.9% in the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 25,900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Proto Labs by 3.7% during the second quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 194,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,801,000 after buying an additional 6,921 shares during the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,101,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 28.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 153,624 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,151,000 after buying an additional 34,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $224,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.54% of the company’s stock.

Proto Labs Company Profile

Proto Labs, Inc is a digital manufacturing company that offers on-demand production services for custom parts and prototypes. Utilizing technologies such as 3D printing (additive manufacturing), CNC machining and injection molding, the company transforms digital CAD designs into functional parts on accelerated timelines. Its platform-driven process combines automated quoting, rapid tool generation and manufacturing execution to serve product developers, engineers and small- to medium-sized production runs.

Founded in 1999 by Larry Lukis, Proto Labs has championed the application of digital workflows to traditional manufacturing methods.