Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Proto Labs from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Proto Labs from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Proto Labs Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:PRLB opened at $79.12 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $68.40 and its 200 day moving average is $60.47. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.64 and a beta of 1.39. Proto Labs has a 52-week low of $37.40 and a 52-week high of $79.48.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 4.15% and a net margin of 4.71%.The business had revenue of $139.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.31 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. Proto Labs’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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Proto Labs will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 16,030 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.49, for a total transaction of $1,113,924.70. Following the sale, the insider owned 18,683 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sven Wehrwein sold 2,000 shares of Proto Labs stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total value of $154,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 32,505 shares in the company, valued at $2,511,986.40. This trade represents a 5.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 25,663 shares of company stock valued at $1,804,727 over the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Proto Labs

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Proto Labs by 38.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 129,113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,362,000 after purchasing an additional 35,784 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Proto Labs during the 1st quarter worth $1,084,000. Amundi increased its position in Proto Labs by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 14,082 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $803,000 after buying an additional 2,031 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in Proto Labs by 98.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 27,716 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,580,000 after buying an additional 13,781 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Proto Labs by 31.4% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 99,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,664,000 after buying an additional 23,759 shares during the last quarter. 84.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.