Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Shares Up 4.7% – Still a Buy?

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB)’s share price traded up 4.7% during trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $92.74 and last traded at $93.3450. Approximately 95,993 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 195,896 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PRLB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Proto Labs from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Proto Labs from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $87.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Proto Labs from $70.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut Proto Labs from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Proto Labs from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Proto Labs has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.00.

Proto Labs Stock Up 3.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 76.95 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $82.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.70.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. Proto Labs had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 4.80%. The company had revenue of $149.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $144.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Proto Labs has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.640 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 1.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Proto Labs

In other news, CFO Daniel Schumacher sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.32, for a total value of $476,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,019 shares in the company, valued at $3,338,011.08. This trade represents a 12.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $902,629. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Proto Labs during the 2nd quarter valued at about $317,581,000. American Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the second quarter worth approximately $50,524,000. S Squared Technology LLC purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs in the second quarter worth approximately $23,484,661. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its position in Proto Labs by 4,959.0% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 227,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,517,000 after buying an additional 223,155 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Proto Labs during the second quarter valued at approximately $11,720,000. 84.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Proto Labs Company Profile

Proto Labs, Inc (NYSE: PRLB), doing business as Protolabs, is a digital manufacturing company that provides rapid prototyping and on-demand production services. Its platform enables engineers and product developers to upload three-dimensional computer-aided design files, receive automated design analyses and quotes, and order custom parts through a streamlined online process.

The company offers computer numerical control machining, injection molding, 3D printing and sheet-metal fabrication.