Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.500-0.580 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.430. The company issued revenue guidance of $140.0 million-$148.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $143.3 million.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Proto Labs in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Proto Labs from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Proto Labs presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Proto Labs Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Proto Labs stock traded up $0.23 on Friday, reaching $65.04. 443,326 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 177,663. Proto Labs has a fifty-two week low of $36.13 and a fifty-two week high of $68.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.91 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.91.

Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) last released its quarterly 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 3.19% and a net margin of 3.98%.The business had revenue of $139.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. Proto Labs’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts anticipate that Proto Labs will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Proto Labs news, insider Michael R. Kenison sold 2,500 shares of Proto Labs stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $150,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,071,560. The trade was a 6.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Proto Labs

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Proto Labs reported EPS of $0.54 vs. consensus $0.40 and revenue of $139.3M vs. $135.3M, driven by 10.4% year-over-year revenue growth. Protolabs Reports Financial Results for the First Quarter of 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Raised Q2 guidance — Management set Q2 FY2026 EPS guidance at $0.50–$0.58 (consensus ~$0.43) and revenue guidance of $140M–$148M (consensus ~$143.3M), signaling stronger near-term outlook. Q1 Slide Deck / Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength — Company posted record quarterly revenue; CNC machining grew ~19.7% YoY and revenue per customer contact rose ~20.4%, suggesting stronger demand and pricing/volume mix improvement. Protolabs Reports Financial Results for the First Quarter of 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call & materials available — Management commentary and the slide deck provide color on end-market trends, customer mix and margin drivers; investors can review the transcript and presentation for guidance detail. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Q1 Results Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability & valuation caveats — Net margin remains modest (~3.98%) and return on equity is low (~3.2%), while the stock trades at a high P/E (~74), leaving limited margin for execution misses or demand slowdowns.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Proto Labs

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Polen Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Proto Labs during the 4th quarter valued at $210,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Proto Labs during the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Proto Labs during the third quarter valued at $264,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Proto Labs by 28.6% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,456 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.54% of the company’s stock.

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.