Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) Shares Bought by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,300,864 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 68,006 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 5.31% of Proto Labs worth $50,851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRLB. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Proto Labs by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 738,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,871,000 after acquiring an additional 308,970 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 571,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,354,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares during the last quarter. S Squared Technology LLC boosted its position in shares of Proto Labs by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. S Squared Technology LLC now owns 307,003 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,001,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Proto Labs by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 244,987 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,711,000 after buying an additional 105,813 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Proto Labs by 348.1% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 212,914 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,323,000 after buying an additional 165,396 shares in the last quarter. 84.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

Proto Labs stock opened at $38.39 on Friday. Proto Labs, Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.76 and a twelve month high of $46.73. The firm has a market cap of $912.57 million, a PE ratio of 59.06 and a beta of 1.52. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $35.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.81.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.14). Proto Labs had a return on equity of 2.44% and a net margin of 3.31%. The firm had revenue of $126.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $123.71 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. Proto Labs's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Proto Labs declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, February 7th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 9.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PRLB shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Proto Labs in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Proto Labs from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to 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.

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