Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Proto Labs a “Moderate Buy”: Four of five covering firms recommend buying the stock, while one rates it a hold. The average 12-month price target is $100.50.
• Recent operating results exceeded expectations: Proto Labs reported quarterly EPS of $0.60 versus the $0.53 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 10.5% year over year to $149.34 million.
• The stock and ownership base remain notable: PRLB recently traded at $87.56, up 1.3%, and institutional investors own 84.54% of outstanding shares. Meanwhile, insiders sold 10,000 shares over the past three months.

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $100.50.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Proto Labs from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Proto Labs in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Benchmark upped their price target on Proto Labs from $70.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Proto Labs

In other news, CFO Daniel Schumacher sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.32, for a total transaction of $476,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,019 shares in the company, valued at $3,338,011.08. The trade was a 12.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $902,629. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Proto Labs

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the second quarter valued at $317,581,000. American Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the 2nd quarter worth $50,524,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 520,251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,665,000 after acquiring an additional 26,700 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Proto Labs by 0.7% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 463,780 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,162 shares during the period. Finally, S Squared Technology LLC bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the second quarter worth about $23,484,661. 84.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Proto Labs Trading Up 1.3%

PRLB traded up $1.15 on Tuesday, reaching $87.56. The stock had a trading volume of 7,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 198,039. The business's 50-day moving average price is $86.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.53. Proto Labs has a 12-month low of $45.10 and a 12-month high of $99.96. The company has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.90 and a beta of 1.38.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 4.80% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business had revenue of $149.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $144.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Proto Labs has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.640 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Proto Labs will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

About Proto Labs

Proto Labs, Inc NYSE: PRLB, operating as Protolabs, is a digital manufacturing company that provides rapid prototyping and on-demand production services. The company uses automated quoting and manufacturing systems to help engineers and product developers produce custom parts without relying on traditional, lengthy tooling and procurement processes.

Protolabs offers computer numerical control (CNC) machining, injection molding, 3D printing and sheet-metal fabrication. Its services support the development and production of components in a range of materials and are used across industries including automotive, aerospace, medical, electronics and consumer products.

Founded in 1999 by entrepreneur Larry Lukis, the company has expanded its reach beyond its original U.S.

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