Jane Street Group LLC Lowers Holdings in Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB)

Jane Street Group LLC lessened its position in Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Free Report) by 40.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 57,955 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 39,668 shares during the quarter. Jane Street Group LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Proto Labs worth $2,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 93.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 139,890 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,109,000 after purchasing an additional 67,449 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $788,000 after buying an additional 1,147 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Proto Labs by 544.3% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 95,359 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,728,000 after buying an additional 80,558 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 78,783 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,080,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $4,647,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.54% of the company's stock.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

NYSE:PRLB traded down $0.67 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $40.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,768. Proto Labs, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.76 and a 12 month high of $46.73. The firm has a market cap of $955.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.85 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $36.19 and a 200-day moving average of $38.85.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $126.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.71 million. Proto Labs had a net margin of 3.31% and a return on equity of 2.44%. The company's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. Equities 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 has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, February 7th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 9.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PRLB shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Proto Labs from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Proto Labs in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Proto Labs from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.67.

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.