Ieq Capital LLC Buys New Holdings in Proto Labs, Inc. $PRLB

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC has acquired a new stake in Proto Labs, with a purchase of 8,559 shares valued at approximately $300,000 during the first quarter.
• In recent hedge fund activity, **Wellington Management Group** increased its position by 97.4%, now owning shares valued at $24.9 million, while **Pacer Advisors Inc.** saw an astounding increase of 9,033.1% in the same period.
• Analysts upgraded Proto Labs, citing a target price of $54.00 from Craig Hallum and a consensus price target of $52.50, reflecting a generally positive outlook on the stock.

Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 8,559 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $300,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PRLB. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 249.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 661 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 50.4% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 182.3% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 3,794 shares during the period. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $257,000. 84.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Proto Labs

In related news, CEO Suresh Krishna acquired 1,725 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $43.51 per share, for a total transaction of $75,054.75. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 18,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $784,093.71. The trade was a 10.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PRLB shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Proto Labs from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on Proto Labs from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Craig Hallum upgraded Proto Labs from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.50.

Proto Labs Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE PRLB traded up $1.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $50.41. The company had a trading volume of 144,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 156,157. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 84.01 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.95. Proto Labs, Inc. has a one year low of $26.34 and a one year high of $51.09.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $135.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $128.05 million. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 2.22% and a net margin of 2.91%.Proto Labs's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.350-0.430 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Proto Labs

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.