Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Proto Labs has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from five covering analysts, with an average 12-month price target of about $65.33. Recent reports were mixed, including downgrades from Zacks Research and Weiss Ratings, while Benchmark raised its target to $91 and kept a buy rating.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.54 versus estimates of $0.40 and revenue of $139.34 million versus expectations of $135.31 million. Revenue rose 10.4% year over year, and Proto Labs guided Q2 2026 EPS to $0.50–$0.58.
• There has also been notable insider selling, including transactions by an executive and a director, with insiders selling 25,663 shares over the last 90 days. Meanwhile, institutional ownership remains high at 84.54% of shares outstanding.

Shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.3333.

A number of analysts have issued reports on PRLB shares. Zacks Research downgraded Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Proto Labs from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Proto Labs from $70.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Proto Labs from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th.

Insider Activity at Proto Labs

In other news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.49, for a total transaction of $1,113,924.70. Following the transaction, the insider owned 18,683 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,298,281.67. The trade was a 46.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sven Wehrwein sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total value of $154,560.00. Following the sale, the director owned 32,505 shares in the company, valued at $2,511,986.40. The trade was a 5.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 25,663 shares of company stock valued at $1,804,727 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in Proto Labs by 2.4% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,871 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $734,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,886 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $601,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Proto Labs by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 10,495 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Proto Labs by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 30,748 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,556,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Finally, Group One Trading LLC bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. 84.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Proto Labs Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:PRLB traded down $1.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $74.06. 164,962 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 255,891. The business's fifty day moving average is $74.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.16. Proto Labs has a one year low of $38.48 and a one year high of $83.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of 69.87 and a beta of 1.38.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $139.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.31 million. Proto Labs had a net margin of 4.71% and a return on equity of 4.15%. Proto Labs's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.580 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Proto Labs will post 1.37 EPS for the current year.

Proto Labs Company Profile

Proto Labs, Inc is a digital manufacturing company that offers on-demand production services for custom parts and prototypes. Utilizing technologies such as 3D printing (additive manufacturing), CNC machining and injection molding, the company transforms digital CAD designs into functional parts on accelerated timelines. Its platform-driven process combines automated quoting, rapid tool generation and manufacturing execution to serve product developers, engineers and small- to medium-sized production runs.

Founded in 1999 by Larry Lukis, Proto Labs has championed the application of digital workflows to traditional manufacturing methods.

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