Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $73.60 and last traded at $73.11, with a volume of 22427 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on PRLB shares. Weiss Ratings raised Proto Labs from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Proto Labs from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.33.

Proto Labs Trading Up 4.6%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.81. The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 70.40 and a beta of 1.36.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $139.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $135.31 million. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 4.15% and a net margin of 4.71%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.580 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Proto Labs, Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Proto Labs

In other Proto Labs news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 18,683 shares in the company, valued at $1,298,281.67. This represents a 46.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 23,663 shares of company stock valued at $1,650,167. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new stake in Proto Labs during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Proto Labs by 7,380.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Proto Labs during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Proto Labs during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Proto Labs in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 84.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.