LXFR vs PRLB vs WS Stock Comparison

Luxfer Holdings, Proto Labs and Worthington Steel Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LXFR Luxfer Holdings Plc
$17.28 +0.1% 1M +27.2% 1Y
Market cap
$461.99M
P/E
57.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$363.20M
Div. yield
–
Metal Fabrication Industrials
4 wins
PRLB Proto Labs Inc
$85.54 -4.2% 1M +54.8% 1Y
Market cap
$2.07B
P/E
67.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$560.54M
Div. yield
–
3D Printing Industrials
4 wins
WS Worthington Steel, Inc.
$40.81 +17.4% 1M +31.3% 1Y
Market cap
$2.12B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.30B
Div. yield
0.02%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Luxfer Holdings leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Luxfer Holdings 4, Proto Labs 4, Worthington Steel 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLXFRPRLBWSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $461.99M $2.07B $2.12B WS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 57.7x 67.8x -55.3x LXFR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.5x 37.4x 10.7x WS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -10.6% +10.2% +69.1% WS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.2% 5.4% -0.7% PRLB
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 4.6% — 0.2% LXFR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.4x — 19.9x LXFR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.2% +54.8% +31.3% PRLB
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.9%/yr +3.7%/yr — PRLB
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 33.2% 46.8% 47.1% LXFR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 59/100 33/100 PRLB

Percentile Scorecard

LXFRPRLBWS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisLXFRPRLBWS
Valuation 58 #86 of 203 34 #135 of 203 60 #82 of 203
Growth 14 #161 of 188 83 #32 of 188 32 #128 of 188
Profitability 39 #114 of 187 52 #91 of 187 29 #134 of 187
Financial Health 59 #91 of 222 96 #11 of 222 10 #200 of 222
Shareholder Returns 80 #32 of 153 32 #104 of 153 34 #102 of 153
Overall 50 59 33
  • LXFR ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • PRLB ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • WS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodLXFRPRLBWSSPY
1 month +0.1%-4.2%+17.4% -1.0%
3 months +1.3%+9.2%+13.4% +2.9%
6 months +31.5%+32.4%+8.1% +6.4%
Year to date +27.7%+69.1%+17.9% +11.4%
1 year +27.2%+54.8%+31.3% +13.1%
3 years +95.9%+251.1%— +79.4%
3 years, per year +25.1%+52.0%— +21.5%
5 years -18.1%+19.7%— +67.7%
5 years, per year -3.9%+3.7%— +10.9%
10 years —+59.8%— +255.2%
10 years, per year —+4.8%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureLXFRPRLBWSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 33.2%46.8%47.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.2%38.7%49.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.942.031.62 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.821.170.67 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -67.3%-71.4%-51.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.4%-13.3%-16.2% -2.5%
52-week high $19.08$98.64$48.69 $779.14
52-week low $11.51$46.81$28.10 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleLXFRPRLBWS
P/E now vs peer median 57.8xmedian 25.9x 67.3xmedian 25.9x -53.3xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 1.9x 3.7xmedian 1.9x 0.4xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.5xmedian 13.7x 27.4xmedian 13.7x 41.2xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.5xmedian 21.1x 36.1xmedian 21.1x 44.8xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 2.3x 3.0xmedian 2.3x 1.3xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -2.98median 1.19 2.10median 1.19 1.64median 1.19

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsLXFRPRLBWS
Revenue $363.20M $560.54M $5.30B
Gross profit $90.20M $254.60M $549.30M
Operating income $22.70M $36.81M $6.30M
Net income $8.00M $30.48M -$56.50M
Free cash flow $16.80M $56.66M $46.70M
R&D $5.10M $42.36M –
EPS (diluted) $0.29 $1.25 $-0.77
Cash & equivalents $11.50M $127.92M $248.20M
Total debt – – $2.89B
Shares (diluted) 27.22M 24.42M 50.00M
Enterprise value $421.39M $1.54B $1.60B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricLXFRPRLBWS
P/E 57.8x 67.3x -53.3x
P/FCF 27.5x 36.1x 44.8x
P/Operating cash flow 17.8x 26.1x 10.4x
P/S 1.3x 3.7x 0.4x
P/B 2.1x 3.0x 1.3x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 3.0x 1.3x
EV/EBITDA 15.5x 27.4x 41.2x
EV/EBIT 22.4x 51.7x 641.0x
EV/Revenue 1.4x 3.4x 0.8x
EV/FCF 30.3x 33.6x 86.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.6x 24.2x 20.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.98 2.10 1.64

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLXFRPRLBWS
Revenue growth (1Y) -10.6% 10.2% 69.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -5.4% 4.9% 15.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -1.3% 13.3% 36.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 6.8% 13.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -33.6% 121.9% -95.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -14.7% 33.2% -65.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -67.1% 105.8% -144.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -19.3% 31.6% -34.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -67.2% 103.1% -132.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -19.4% 32.0% -32.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -42.4% 10.6% 18.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 7.7% -10.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -52.8% -14.0% 50.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.8% 11.9% -41.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLXFRPRLBWS
Gross margin 24.8% 45.4% 10.4%
EBITDA margin 9.0% 12.4% 1.8%
Operating margin 6.3% 6.6% 0.1%
Pretax margin 5.4% 7.6% -0.2%
Net margin 2.2% 5.4% -0.7%
FCF margin 4.6% 10.1% 0.9%
Operating cash flow margin 7.2% 14.0% 3.8%
Return on equity 3.6% 4.4% -4.0%
Return on assets 2.0% 3.9% -1.4%
Return on invested capital 4.6% – 0.2%
Return on capital employed 7.3% 5.2% 0.3%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.3x 2.6x -3.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 2.6% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLXFRPRLBWS
Debt / assets 15.0% – 36.5%
Debt / equity 0.3x – 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.4x – 19.9x
Debt / FCF 3.5x – 47.0x
Liabilities / assets 42.8% 12.6% 72.8%
Equity / assets 57.2% 87.4% 27.2%
Interest coverage 7.3x – 0.5x
Current ratio 2.3x 3.6x 1.8x
Quick ratio 1.0x 3.2x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 2.0x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.50 13.94 1.54

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLXFRPRLBWS
Dividend yield 2.3% – 1.6%
Net buyback yield 0.7% 0.6% –
Shareholder yield 3.0% 0.6% 1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – -57.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 70.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 2.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusLXFRPRLBWS
Forward P/E 17.5xFY2026 37.4xFY2026 10.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.99FY2026 $2.29FY2026 $3.82FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -10.8%FY2026 +38.0%FY2026 +71.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +41.4% +9.6% +30.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $386.72MFY2026 $612.12MFY2026 $10.90BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.2%FY2026 +14.8%FY2026 +217.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.6% +4.8% +2.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLXFRPRLBWS
Held by institutions 91.6% 93.7% 56.3%
Institutions holding 136 276 238
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.6% +1.7% +1.2%
Institutions buying 76 145 112
Institutions selling 41 89 68
Buyers to sellers 1.85 1.63 1.65

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

LXFRPRLBWS
LXFR 1.00 0.37 0.35
PRLB 0.37 1.00 0.46
WS 0.35 0.46 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LXFR, PRLB and WS?

Worthington Steel (WS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) $461.99M, Proto Labs (PRLB) $2.07B, Worthington Steel (WS) $2.12B.

Which stock is cheaper, LXFR, PRLB and WS?

Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 57.7x, Proto Labs (PRLB) 67.8x, Worthington Steel (WS) -55.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Worthington Steel (WS) is cheapest (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 17.5x, Proto Labs (PRLB) 37.4x, Worthington Steel (WS) 10.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Worthington Steel (WS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -10.6%, Proto Labs (PRLB) +10.2%, Worthington Steel (WS) +69.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Proto Labs (PRLB) has the highest net margin (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 2.2%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 5.4%, Worthington Steel (WS) -0.7%). On return on invested capital, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) leads (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 4.6%, Worthington Steel (WS) 0.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Proto Labs (PRLB) returned the most: Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) +27.2%, Proto Labs (PRLB) +54.8%, Worthington Steel (WS) +31.3%. Over five years, Proto Labs (PRLB) compounded fastest (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -3.9%/yr, Proto Labs (PRLB) +3.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 0.00%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 0.00%, Worthington Steel (WS) 0.02%. Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) and Proto Labs (PRLB) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) has been the steadiest (Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 33.2%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 46.8%, Worthington Steel (WS) 47.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LXFR, PRLB and WS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.