Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Reaches New 1-Year High on Earnings Beat

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:PRLB)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $59.00 and last traded at $62.0250, with a volume of 40990 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $52.48.

The industrial products company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $136.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.07 million. Proto Labs had a return on equity of 2.23% and a net margin of 2.86%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. Proto Labs has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.360-0.440 EPS.

Key Headlines Impacting Proto Labs

Here are the key news stories impacting Proto Labs this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on both top and bottom lines: EPS $0.44 vs. $0.35 est., revenue $136.5M vs. $129.1M est., and revenue +12.1% year-over-year — management called out record revenue and strong year-end momentum. Protolabs Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Raised/strong Q1 2026 guidance and 2026 revenue outlook: Q1 EPS guide of $0.36–$0.44 (versus ~$0.29 consensus) and company outlining 6%–8% revenue growth for 2026 while investing in production capacity and digital tools — this lifted forward estimates. Proto Labs outlines 6%-8% revenue growth for 2026 while advancing production and digital initiatives
• Positive Sentiment: Management is executing on operational initiatives (production expansion and digital manufacturing investments) highlighted in the earnings presentation, which management says will support scalable growth and margin improvement over time. Proto Labs, Inc. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for investors who want management’s color on order trends, margin drivers, and cadence of capital deployment. Proto Labs, Inc. (PRLB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability metrics remain modest (low net margin / low ROE) and valuation is elevated on forward EPS expectations, leaving the stock sensitive to execution and any guidance misses. Proto Labs: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Proto Labs

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Proto Labs in the fourth quarter valued at about $253,000. Argos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the 4th quarter valued at about $413,000. Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,599 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Proto Labs by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,886 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $601,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Proto Labs during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 84.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Proto Labs Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.62 and a beta of 1.24.

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.