Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Proto Labs to “strong buy” from “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Buy” with an average price target of $89.00.
• Proto Labs beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.60 in EPS versus $0.53 expected and revenue of $149.34 million; revenue increased 10.5% year over year.
• The stock rose 1.2% to open at $88.92, near its 52-week high, but insiders sold 25,463 shares worth approximately $1.79 million during the latest quarter.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

PRLB has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Proto Labs from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut Proto Labs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Proto Labs from $70.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised Proto Labs from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $87.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.00.

Proto Labs Stock Up 1.2%

PRLB opened at $88.92 on Thursday. Proto Labs has a 52 week low of $45.10 and a 52 week high of $91.98. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.85. The firm has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.14 and a beta of 1.40.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $149.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $144.53 million. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 4.80% and a net margin of 5.44%.Proto Labs's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.640 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Proto Labs will post 1.46 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 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.49, for a total value of $1,113,924.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 18,683 shares in the company, valued at $1,298,281.67. This trade represents a 46.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,463 shares of company stock valued at $1,790,727. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new stake in Proto Labs during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Proto Labs by 7,380.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 748 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Proto Labs during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.54% of the company's stock.

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.

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