PRLB vs LECO vs LXFR Stock Comparison

Proto Labs, Lincoln Electric Holdings and Luxfer Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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
3 wins
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
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Lincoln Electric Holdings leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Lincoln Electric Holdings 7, Proto Labs 3, Luxfer Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPRLBLECOLXFRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.07B $14.14B $461.99M LECO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 67.8x 25.5x 57.7x LECO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 37.4x 22.0x 17.5x LXFR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.2% +9.3% -10.6% PRLB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.4% 12.4% 2.2% LECO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 21.4% 4.6% LECO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 1.0x 1.4x LECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +54.8% +5.7% +27.2% PRLB
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.7%/yr +12.1%/yr -3.9%/yr LECO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.8% 29.5% 33.2% LECO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 57/100 50/100 PRLB

Percentile Scorecard

PRLBLECOLXFR

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

AxisPRLBLECOLXFR
Valuation 34 #135 of 203 39 #124 of 203 58 #86 of 203
Growth 83 #32 of 188 50 #94 of 188 14 #161 of 188
Profitability 52 #91 of 187 95 #11 of 187 39 #114 of 187
Financial Health 96 #11 of 222 46 #121 of 222 59 #91 of 222
Shareholder Returns 32 #104 of 153 56 #68 of 153 80 #32 of 153
Overall 59 57 50
  • PRLB ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • LECO ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • LXFR ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodPRLBLECOLXFRSPY
1 month -4.2%-3.6%+0.1% -1.0%
3 months +9.2%+1.8%+1.3% +2.9%
6 months +32.4%-1.6%+31.5% +6.4%
Year to date +69.1%+6.8%+27.7% +11.4%
1 year +54.8%+5.7%+27.2% +13.1%
3 years +251.1%+52.4%+95.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year +52.0%+15.1%+25.1% +21.5%
5 years +19.7%+77.1%-18.1% +67.7%
5 years, per year +3.7%+12.1%-3.9% +10.9%
10 years +59.8%+283.8%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +4.8%+14.4%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasurePRLBLECOLXFRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.8%29.5%33.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 38.7%31.1%39.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.031.140.94 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.170.190.82 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -71.4%-35.3%-67.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.3%-14.4%-9.4% -2.5%
52-week high $98.64$298.88$19.08 $779.14
52-week low $46.81$220.64$11.51 $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.

MultiplePRLBLECOLXFR
P/E now vs peer median 67.3xmedian 25.9x 25.3xmedian 25.9x 57.8xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 1.9x 3.1xmedian 1.9x 1.3xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.4xmedian 13.7x 17.1xmedian 13.7x 15.5xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 36.1xmedian 21.1x 25.7xmedian 21.1x 27.5xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 3.0xmedian 2.3x 9.0xmedian 2.3x 2.1xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 2.10median 1.19 3.59median 1.19 -2.98median 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 monthsPRLBLECOLXFR
Revenue $560.54M $4.48B $363.20M
Gross profit $254.60M $1.61B $90.20M
Operating income $36.81M $767.80M $22.70M
Net income $30.48M $553.55M $8.00M
Free cash flow $56.66M $542.40M $16.80M
R&D $42.36M – $5.10M
EPS (diluted) $1.25 $10.05 $0.29
Cash & equivalents $127.92M $242.44M $11.50M
Total debt – $5.00B –
Shares (diluted) 24.42M 55.10M 27.22M
Enterprise value $1.54B $12.99B $421.39M

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
MetricPRLBLECOLXFR
P/E 67.3x 25.3x 57.8x
P/FCF 36.1x 25.7x 27.5x
P/Operating cash flow 26.1x 20.3x 17.8x
P/S 3.7x 3.1x 1.3x
P/B 3.0x 9.0x 2.1x
P/Tangible book 3.0x 9.0x 2.2x
EV/EBITDA 27.4x 17.1x 15.5x
EV/EBIT 51.7x 19.4x 22.4x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 3.3x 1.4x
EV/FCF 33.6x 27.4x 30.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.2x 21.6x 19.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.10 3.59 -2.98

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPRLBLECOLXFR
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.2% 9.3% -10.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 4.2% -5.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.3% 8.0% -1.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.8% 6.2% -0.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 121.9% 13.0% -33.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 33.2% 7.0% -14.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 105.8% 10.1% -67.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 31.6% 5.0% -19.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 103.1% 11.8% -67.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 32.0% 7.0% -19.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.6% 10.1% -42.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.7% 6.8% 6.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -14.0% 7.4% -52.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 3.7% 14.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPRLBLECOLXFR
Gross margin 45.4% 36.0% 24.8%
EBITDA margin 12.4% 19.4% 9.0%
Operating margin 6.6% 17.1% 6.3%
Pretax margin 7.6% 16.1% 5.4%
Net margin 5.4% 12.4% 2.2%
FCF margin 10.1% 12.1% 4.6%
Operating cash flow margin 14.0% 15.3% 7.2%
Return on equity 4.4% 36.1% 3.6%
Return on assets 3.9% 14.4% 2.0%
Return on invested capital – 21.4% 4.6%
Return on capital employed 5.2% 25.9% 7.3%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.2x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.6x 1.2x 3.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.6% 0.5% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPRLBLECOLXFR
Debt / assets – 30.2% 15.0%
Debt / equity – 0.7x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 1.0x 1.4x
Debt / FCF – 2.1x 3.5x
Liabilities / assets 12.6% 59.2% 42.8%
Equity / assets 87.4% 40.8% 57.2%
Interest coverage – – 7.3x
Current ratio 3.6x 2.0x 2.3x
Quick ratio 3.2x 1.0x 1.0x
Cash ratio 2.0x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 13.94 7.49 3.50

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPRLBLECOLXFR
Dividend yield – 1.2% 2.3%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.6% 0.7%
Shareholder yield 0.6% 2.8% 3.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 30.9% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 31.5% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 7.0% –

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.

ConsensusPRLBLECOLXFR
Forward P/E 37.4xFY2026 22.0xFY2026 17.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.29FY2026 $11.62FY2026 $0.99FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +38.0%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026 -10.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +9.6% +0.4% +41.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $612.12MFY2026 $4.83BFY2026 $386.72MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.8%FY2026 +14.3%FY2026 +4.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.8% +5.7% +2.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPRLBLECOLXFR
Held by institutions 93.7% 81.3% 91.6%
Institutions holding 276 701 136
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.7% +5.5% -1.6%
Institutions buying 145 297 76
Institutions selling 89 266 41
Buyers to sellers 1.63 1.12 1.85

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.

PRLBLECOLXFR
PRLB 1.00 0.50 0.37
LECO 0.50 1.00 0.33
LXFR 0.37 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, PRLB, LECO and LXFR?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Proto Labs (PRLB) $2.07B, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) $14.14B, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) $461.99M.

Which stock is cheaper, PRLB, LECO and LXFR?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Proto Labs (PRLB) 67.8x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 25.5x, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 57.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) is cheapest (Proto Labs (PRLB) 37.4x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 22.0x, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 17.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Proto Labs (PRLB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Proto Labs (PRLB) +10.2%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +9.3%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -10.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) has the highest net margin (Proto Labs (PRLB) 5.4%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 12.4%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 2.2%). On return on invested capital, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 21.4%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 4.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Proto Labs (PRLB) returned the most: Proto Labs (PRLB) +54.8%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +5.7%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) +27.2%. Over five years, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) compounded fastest (Proto Labs (PRLB) +3.7%/yr, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +12.1%/yr, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -3.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Proto Labs (PRLB) 0.00%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 0.01%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 0.00%. Proto Labs (PRLB) and Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) has been the steadiest (Proto Labs (PRLB) 46.8%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 29.5%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 33.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads on 7. 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.