Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) achieved a new 52-week high, reaching $55.90 amidst trading, closing at $55.32 with a total volume of 7,639 shares.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with Cantor Fitzgerald raising their target price to $51.00 and a consensus price target of $52.50.
• CEO Suresh Krishna recently purchased 1,725 shares at an average price of $43.51, increasing his stake in the company by 10.59%.

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $55.90 and last traded at $55.32, with a volume of 7639 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on PRLB. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Proto Labs from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Proto Labs in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Craig Hallum raised shares of Proto Labs from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.50.

Proto Labs Price Performance

The business's 50-day moving average price is $50.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.46 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Suresh Krishna purchased 1,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $43.51 per share, for a total transaction of $75,054.75. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 18,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,093.71. This represents a 10.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 1.7% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 21,419 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,072,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 10.8% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 40,252 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,014,000 after buying an additional 3,930 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its stake in Proto Labs by 79.9% during the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 25,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in Proto Labs by 8.4% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 10,028 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $502,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Proto Labs by 80.8% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.54% of the company's stock.

Proto Labs Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.