Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Reaches New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) reached a new 52-week high of $51.10 during trading, showing a notable increase from its previous close of $49.37.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded Proto Labs' ratings, with Craig Hallum raising its rating to "buy" and setting a price target of $54.00, reflecting confidence in the company's growth potential.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.41, surpassing expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 7.6%.

Shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $51.10 and last traded at $51.10, with a volume of 48094 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $49.37.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Proto Labs from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Proto Labs from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Craig Hallum raised shares of Proto Labs from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Proto Labs presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.50.

Proto Labs Trading Down 0.8%

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $46.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.39. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.17 and a beta of 1.27.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $135.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.05 million. Proto Labs had a net margin of 2.91% and a return on equity of 2.22%. Proto Labs's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.350-0.430 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Proto Labs news, CEO Suresh Krishna acquired 1,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $43.51 per share, with a total value of $75,054.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 18,021 shares in the company, valued at $784,093.71. This trade represents a 10.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Proto Labs

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRLB. Rubric Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Proto Labs by 791.9% in the second quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 1,034,171 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $41,408,000 after purchasing an additional 918,219 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Proto Labs by 97.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 711,738 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $24,939,000 after purchasing an additional 351,097 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Proto Labs by 9,033.1% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 148,595 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,207,000 after purchasing an additional 146,968 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the first quarter worth approximately $2,458,000. Finally, Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN increased its position in shares of Proto Labs by 1.9% in the second quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 2,722,011 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $108,989,000 after purchasing an additional 51,293 shares during the last quarter. 84.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.