Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Hits New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $71.37 and last traded at $70.8740, with a volume of 227965 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $69.30.

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Proto Labs from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note 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 given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Proto Labs

In other news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.49, for a total transaction of $1,113,924.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 18,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,298,281.67. The trade was a 46.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 23,663 shares of company stock worth $1,650,167 over the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sei Investments Co. purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the first quarter worth about $503,000. Summit Global Investments raised its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 36.0% in the first quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $725,000 after purchasing an additional 3,370 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the 1st quarter valued at $256,000. Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the 1st quarter valued at $226,000. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the 1st quarter valued at $1,605,000. 84.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Proto Labs Trading Up 0.9%

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $61.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 67.61 and a beta of 1.36.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $139.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.31 million. Proto Labs had a net margin of 4.71% and a return on equity of 4.15%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.580 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

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.