Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Hits New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

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

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Proto Labs from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Proto Labs news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were 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 directly owned 18,683 shares in the company, valued at $1,298,281.67. This trade represents a 46.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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. Insiders have sold 23,663 shares of company stock valued at $1,650,167 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Proto Labs

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 7,380.0% during 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 during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 84.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Proto Labs Stock Up 0.9%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $61.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.74. The stock 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 earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. Proto Labs had a net margin of 4.71% and a return on equity of 4.15%. The firm had revenue of $139.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.31 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Proto Labs has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.580 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate 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.