Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Trading 6.3% Higher - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Proto Labs shares rose 6.3% to about $84.08, above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The stock has a $2.01 billion market capitalization and a relatively high P/E ratio of 67.37.
• Analyst sentiment is positive: the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.00, with recent upgrades from Needham, Benchmark, Zacks Research and Weiss Ratings.
• Proto Labs exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.60 in earnings per share versus $0.53 expected and revenue of $149.34 million versus $144.53 million forecast. Institutional investors own 84.54% of the shares, with BlackRock and American Capital Management establishing major new positions.

Shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) were up 6.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $85.00 and last traded at $84.0790. 144,582 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 192,725 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Proto Labs Trading Up 6.3%

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $80.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.23. The stock has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.37 and a beta of 1.42.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 4.80%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Proto Labs has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.640 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

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

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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