Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Hits New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Proto Labs shares hit a new 52-week high of $95.99, last trading around $93.07, with the stock well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: the consensus rating is “Buy” with an average price target of $89, although the new high is above that target.
• Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.60 versus $0.53 expected and revenue of $149.34 million, up 10.5% year over year; however, the stock carries a high P/E ratio of 74.45.

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $95.99 and last traded at $93.0650, with a volume of 469634 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Proto Labs from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Needham & Company LLC raised Proto Labs from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $87.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Proto Labs from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen cut Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Benchmark upped their target price on Proto Labs from $70.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.00.

Proto Labs Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a PE ratio of 74.45 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Proto Labs

In related news, CFO Daniel Schumacher sold 4,900 shares of Proto Labs stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.21, for a total value of $417,529.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 40,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,410,018.99. The trade was a 10.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,871 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Proto Labs in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Proto Labs by 12.4% during the second quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,045 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Proto Labs during the first quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Proto Labs during the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Institutional investors own 84.54% of the company's stock.

About Proto Labs

Proto Labs, Inc NYSE: PRLB, doing business as Protolabs, is a digital manufacturing company that provides rapid prototyping and on-demand production services. Its platform enables engineers and product developers to upload three-dimensional computer-aided design files, receive automated design analyses and quotes, and order custom parts through a streamlined online process.

The company offers computer numerical control machining, injection molding, 3D printing and sheet-metal fabrication.

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