Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $68.45 and last traded at $66.99, with a volume of 248797 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $66.35.

PRLB has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Proto Labs in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark lifted their target price on Proto Labs from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 3,048 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.17, for a total transaction of $152,918.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 28,898 shares in the company, valued at $1,449,812.66. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Proto Labs

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new position in Proto Labs in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 7,380.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Proto Labs during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Proto Labs during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.54% of the company’s stock.

Proto Labs Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.64 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $54.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.32.

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

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.