Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.360-0.440 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.290. The company issued revenue guidance of $130.0 million-$138.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $132.6 million.

Proto Labs Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE PRLB opened at $52.58 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.20 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $52.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.17. Proto Labs has a 12-month low of $29.58 and a 12-month high of $56.60.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.09. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 2.23% and a net margin of 2.86%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Proto Labs has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.360-0.440 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Proto Labs will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on PRLB. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Proto Labs from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Proto Labs in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Proto Labs from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 3,048 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.17, for a total value of $152,918.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 28,898 shares in the company, valued at $1,449,812.66. The trade was a 9.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rubric Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 791.9% in the second quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 1,034,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,408,000 after purchasing an additional 918,219 shares during the period. American Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Proto Labs by 417.0% during the third quarter. American Capital Management Inc. now owns 279,296 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,973,000 after purchasing an additional 225,269 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,425,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Proto Labs by 952.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 90,587 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,532,000 after buying an additional 81,981 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 301.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 87,339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,370,000 after buying an additional 65,583 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.