Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Proto Labs from “strong-buy” to “buy,” adding to a mixed analyst picture that includes recent upgrades and downgrades from other firms.
• The stock was up 0.5% and trading at $77.78, near its 52-week high of $83.15; the company also carries a market cap of about $1.85 billion and a high valuation with a P/E ratio of 73.38.
• Proto Labs recently beat earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $0.54 EPS versus $0.40 expected and $139.34 million in revenue, while also guiding Q2 2026 EPS to $0.50-$0.58.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

PRLB has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Proto Labs from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Proto Labs from $70.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.33.

Proto Labs Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE PRLB opened at $77.78 on Friday. Proto Labs has a 12-month low of $38.48 and a 12-month high of $83.15. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $75.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.01. The company has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.38 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Group One Trading LLC bought a new position in Proto Labs in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Proto Labs by 7,380.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 748 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Proto Labs during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Proto Labs during the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Proto Labs in the 3rd quarter valued at $64,000. 84.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.