Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) Shares Purchased by Bridgeway Capital Management LLC

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Free Report) by 81.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 96,359 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 43,358 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC owned about 0.39% of Proto Labs worth $3,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of PRLB. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Proto Labs by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,300,864 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $50,851,000 after buying an additional 68,006 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Proto Labs by 71.9% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 738,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,871,000 after acquiring an additional 308,970 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Proto Labs by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 571,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $22,354,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the period. S Squared Technology LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Proto Labs by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 281,639 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,009,000 after buying an additional 9,314 shares in the last quarter. 84.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PRLB. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Proto Labs from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Proto Labs from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Proto Labs in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.67.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

Shares of PRLB stock traded down $0.24 on Wednesday, hitting $41.12. 51,360 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,899. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $35.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $977.46 million, a PE ratio of 63.26 and a beta of 1.37. Proto Labs, Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.76 and a twelve month high of $46.73.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $126.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $123.71 million. Proto Labs had a net margin of 3.31% and a return on equity of 2.44%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Proto Labs announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, February 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 9.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Proto Labs Profile

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.