Deutsche Bank AG Increases Stock Position in Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB)

Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,298 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,109 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.43% of Proto Labs worth $4,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of PRLB. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 20,164 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Proto Labs by 544.3% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 95,359 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,728,000 after acquiring an additional 80,558 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Proto Labs by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 78,783 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,080,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Proto Labs by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 118,889 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,647,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC bought a new stake in Proto Labs during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,972,000. 84.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

Shares of PRLB traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $36.89. The company had a trading volume of 246,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,946. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $36.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.89. Proto Labs, Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.76 and a 52 week high of $46.73. The company has a market capitalization of $876.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.75 and a beta of 1.37.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.04. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 2.44% and a net margin of 3.31%. The firm had revenue of $126.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $123.71 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.40 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Proto Labs announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, February 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 9.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Proto Labs from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Proto Labs from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Proto Labs in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Proto Labs Company Profile

Proto Labs, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital manufacturer of custom parts in the United States and Europe. The company offers injection molding; computer numerical control machining; three-dimensional printing; and sheet metal fabrication products. It serves developers and engineers, who use 3D computer-aided design software to design products across a range of end-markets.