Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Proto Labs in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark upped their target price on Proto Labs from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.33.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

NYSE PRLB opened at $66.53 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $54.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 75.60 and a beta of 1.24. Proto Labs has a fifty-two week low of $29.58 and a fifty-two week high of $68.91.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.09. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 3.98%.The company had revenue of $136.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $129.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. Proto Labs’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Proto Labs has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.360-0.440 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Proto Labs will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Proto Labs news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 3,048 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.17, for a total value of $152,918.16. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 28,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,449,812.66. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Proto Labs

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PRLB. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Proto Labs by 51.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 2,207 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 3.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 63,871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 2,040 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 7,380.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the second quarter valued at approximately $472,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Proto Labs by 0.6% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 249,584 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,986,000 after buying an additional 1,427 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.54% of the company’s stock.

About Proto Labs

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.