Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $78.68 and last traded at $76.01, with a volume of 44926 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $76.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Proto Labs from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Proto Labs from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Proto Labs from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.06. The firm has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.87 and a beta of 1.39.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 4.15% and a net margin of 4.71%.The business had revenue of $139.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $135.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 anticipate that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.49, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sven Wehrwein sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total value of $154,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 32,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,511,986.40. The trade was a 5.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 25,663 shares of company stock valued at $1,804,727. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Proto Labs

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 738 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the third quarter valued at about $64,000. 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.