Protolabs Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021

Rhea-AI Summary

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE: PRLB) reported a 18% revenue increase in Q4 2021, reaching $123.6 million compared to $105.2 million in Q4 2020. The company achieved a record annual revenue of $488.1 million, a 12.4% rise from 2020. Q4 net income was $11.9 million or $0.43 per diluted share, while non-GAAP net income was $11.4 million or $0.41 per diluted share. However, gross margin declined to 45.6% from 50.1% in 2020. The company is optimistic about future growth following the acquisition of Hubs.

Positive

• Q4 2021 revenue of $123.6 million, up 18% YoY.
• Record annual revenue of $488.1 million in 2021, a 12.4% increase YoY.
• Q4 net income of $11.9 million, or $0.43 per diluted share.
• Strong sequential growth in Hubs revenue by 13% to $9.9 million.

Negative

• Gross margin decreased to 45.6% from 50.1% in 2020.
• EBITDA margin dropped to 16.5% from 21.7% in 2020.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 18.3% from 24.8% in 2020.

Revenue of $123.6 million in the Fourth Quarter of 2021, an increase of 18% year-over-year

Record Annual Revenue of $488.1 million in 2021

MAPLE PLAIN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE: PRLB), the world’s leading provider of digital manufacturing services, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2021.

Fourth Quarter 2021 Highlights include:

• Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2021 was $123.6 million, representing a 17.5 percent increase compared to revenue of $105.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
• Hubs generated $9.9 million of revenue in the fourth quarter, representing 13.0 percent sequential growth compared to the third quarter of 2021.
• Net income for the fourth quarter of 2021 was $11.9 million, or $0.43 per diluted share.
• Non-GAAP net income was $11.4 million, or $0.41 per diluted share. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

“We are pleased with the performance of our business in the fourth quarter, highlighted by strong growth and revenue above our expectations,” said Rob Bodor, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our employees around the globe worked tirelessly in a challenging environment to finish the year strong and set us up for success in 2022.”

Full Year 2021 Highlights include:

• Record annual revenue of $488.1 million in 2021, an increase of 12.4 percent over $434.4 million in 2020.
• Protolabs served 55,330 unique product developers during the year.
• Gross margin was 45.6 percent of revenue in 2021, compared to 50.1 percent in 2020.
• EBITDA margin was 16.5 percent of revenue in 2021, compared to 21.7 percent in 2020.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin was 18.3 percent of revenue in 2021, compared to 24.8 percent in 2020. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.
• Net income for 2021 was $33.4 million, or $1.21 per diluted share.
• Non-GAAP net income was $42.8 million, or $1.55 per diluted share. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.
• Cash and investments balance was $91.8 million as of December 31, 2021.

   

“2021 was a transformative year for Protolabs. With the acquisition of Hubs and the launch of Protolabs 2.0, we are well positioned to execute on our long-term strategy to accelerate revenue growth and expand profitability,” added Rob Bodor. “We are uniquely positioned in this large and growing digital manufacturing market as the only company with industry-leading in-house digital manufacturing capabilities coupled with a premium network of manufacturing partners. We have the right strategic priorities in place to capture the opportunity ahead of us in 2022: to accelerate revenue growth, delight our customers, be the digital leader at scale, and continue to be a great place for our employees. I am excited for what we will achieve in 2022.”

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The company has included non-GAAP revenue growth that excludes the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and revenue earned from our acquisition of Hubs (collectively, “non-GAAP revenue growth”). Management believes these metrics are useful in evaluating the underlying business trends and ongoing operating performance of the company.

The company has included earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and EBITDA, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense, unrealized (gain) loss on foreign currency, and transaction costs (collectively, “Adjusted EBITDA”), in this press release to provide investors with additional information regarding the company’s financial results.

The company has included non-GAAP operating margin, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense, amortization expense, and transaction costs (collectively, “non-GAAP operating margin”), in this press release to provide investors with additional information regarding the company’s financial results.

The company has included non-GAAP net income, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense, amortization expense, unrealized (gain) loss on foreign currency, and transaction costs (collectively, “non-GAAP net income”), in this press release to provide investors with additional information regarding the company’s financial results.

The company has provided below reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP revenue growth and Adjusted EBITDA, the most directly comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures are used by the company’s management and board of directors to understand and evaluate operating performance and trends and provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of the company’s business. Accordingly, the company believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Conference Call

The company has scheduled a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results and first quarter 2022 outlook today, February 11, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. EST. To access the call in the U.S. please dial 877-709-8150 or outside the U.S. dial 201-689-8354 at least five minutes prior to the 8:30 a.m. EST start time. No participant code is required. A simultaneous webcast of the call and accompanying presentation will be available via the investor relations section of the Protolabs website and the following link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/cgi7nsd7. A replay will be available for 14 days following the call on the investor relations section of the Protolabs website.

About Protolabs

Protolabs is the world’s leading provider of digital manufacturing services. The e-commerce-based company offers injection molding, CNC machining, 3D printing, and sheet metal fabrication to product developers, engineers, and supply chain teams across the globe. Protolabs serves customers using in-house production capabilities that bring unprecedented speed in tandem with Hubs, a Protolabs Company, which serves customers through its network of premium manufacturing partners. Together, they help companies bring new ideas to market with the fastest and most comprehensive digital manufacturing service in the world. Visit protolabs.com for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical or current facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the results of Protolabs to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Certain of these risk factors and others are described in the “Risk Factors” section within reports filed with the SEC. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Protolabs’ future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Protolabs cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Protolabs expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Proto Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands)
				December 31,			December 31,
				2021			2020
				(Unaudited)
	Assets
	Current assets
		Cash and cash equivalents		$	65,929		$	127,603
		Short-term marketable securities			11,580			34,088
		Accounts receivable, net			80,051			57,877
		Inventory			13,161			10,862
		Income taxes receivable			1,321			540
		Prepaid expenses and other current assets			11,450			11,032
			Total current assets		183,492			242,002
	Property and equipment, net				280,346			282,666
	Goodwill				400,610			128,752
	Other intangible assets, net				37,998			14,350
	Long-term marketable securities				14,340			59,357
	Operating lease assets				5,578			9,855
	Finance lease assets				1,898			2,396
	Other long-term assets				4,320			4,826
			Total assets	$	928,582		$	744,204
	Liabilities and shareholders' equity
	Current liabilities
		Accounts payable		$	25,364		$	18,248
		Accrued compensation			13,704			11,989
		Accrued liabilities and other			11,980			16,193
		Current operating lease liabilities			3,298			3,272
		Current finance lease liabilities			550			552
			Total current liabilities		54,896			50,254
	Long-term operating lease liabilities				2,245			7,586
	Long-term finance lease liabilities				1,351			1,919
	Long-term deferred tax liabilities				35,892			33,854
	Other long-term liabilities				5,705			6,235
	Shareholders' equity				828,493			644,356
	Total liabilities and shareholders' equity			$	928,582		$	744,204

Proto Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
			Three Months Ended							Year Ended
			December 31,							December 31,
			2021				2020			2021				2020
	Revenue
		Injection Molding	$	53,905			$	52,065		$	226,117			$	217,992
		CNC Machining		44,858				31,827			166,811				131,587
		3D Printing		18,727				16,024			72,721				62,502
		Sheet Metal		5,607				4,532			20,397				18,838
		Other		485				760			2,052				3,476
		Total revenue		123,582				105,208			488,098				434,395
	Cost of revenue			68,170				52,580			265,407				216,568
	Gross profit			55,412				52,628			222,691				217,827
	Operating expenses
		Marketing and sales		20,229				17,488			82,175				69,309
		Research and development		10,386				11,390			44,241				36,940
		General and administrative		11,747				12,759			55,933				51,742
		Total operating expenses		42,362				41,637			182,349				157,991
	Income from operations			13,050				10,991			40,342				59,836
	Other income (expense), net			(118	)			560			(158	)			3,109
	Income before income taxes			12,932				11,551			40,184				62,945
	Provision for income taxes			1,022				1,972			6,812				12,078
	Net income		$	11,910			$	9,579		$	33,372			$	50,867
	Net income per share:
		Basic	$	0.43			$	0.36		$	1.21			$	1.90
		Diluted	$	0.43			$	0.36		$	1.21			$	1.89
	Shares used to compute net income per share:
		Basic		27,555,357				26,775,279			27,617,627				26,737,425
		Diluted		27,562,694				26,976,582			27,653,099				26,896,357

Proto Labs, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
				Year Ended
				December 31,
				2021				2020
	Operating activities
		Net income		$	33,372			$	50,867
		Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
		Depreciation and amortization			40,488				32,594
		Stock-based compensation expense			19,095				14,673
		Deferred taxes			339				7,577
		Amortization of marketable securities			-				415
		Realized loss on available-for-sale securities			567				-
		Changes in fair value of contingent consideration			(13,253	)			-
		Other			275				(336	)
		Changes in operating assets and liabilities			(25,641	)			1,179
		Net cash provided by operating activities			55,242				106,969
	Investing activities
		Purchases of property, equipment and other capital assets			(34,209	)			(47,010	)
		Cash used for acquisitions, net of cash acquired			(127,413	)			-
		Purchases of other assets and investments			-				(3,000	)
		Purchases of marketable securities			(16,159	)			(113,200	)
		Proceeds from sales of marketable securities			64,913				-
		Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities			18,204				67,737
		Net cash used in investing activities			(94,664	)			(95,473	)
	Financing activities
		Proceeds from exercises of stock options and other			5,862				7,557
		Purchases of shares withheld for tax obligations			(4,225	)			(3,443	)
		Repurchases of common stock			(23,279	)			(14,686	)
		Principal repayments of finance lease obligations			(552	)			(154	)
		Other			(4	)			-
		Net cash used in financing activities			(22,198	)			(10,726	)
	Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				(54	)			1,608
	Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents				(61,674	)			2,378
	Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period				127,603				125,225
	Cash and cash equivalents, end of period			$	65,929			$	127,603

Proto Labs, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Net Income per Share
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
			Three Months Ended									Year Ended
			December 31,									December 31,
			2021				2020					2021				2020
	Non-GAAP net income, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense, amortization expense, unrealized (gain) loss on foreign currency and transaction costs
		GAAP net income	$	11,910			$	9,579				$	33,372			$	50,867
		Add back:
		Stock-based compensation expense		3,556				4,056					19,095				14,673
		Amortization expense		1,552				754					6,153				3,016
		Unrealized (gain) loss on foreign currency		215				(353	)				556				(1,373	)
		Transaction costs 1		(4,705	)			427					(10,575	)			427
		Total adjustments 2		618				4,884					15,229				16,743
		Income tax benefits on adjustments 3		(1,150	)			(1,013	)				(5,789	)			(4,043	)
		Non-GAAP net income	$	11,378			$	13,450				$	42,812			$	63,567
	Non-GAAP net income per share:
		Basic	$	0.41			$	0.50				$	1.55			$	2.38
		Diluted	$	0.41			$	0.50				$	1.55			$	2.36
	Shares used to compute non-GAAP net income per share:
		Basic		27,555,357				26,775,279					27,617,627				26,737,425
		Diluted		27,562,694				26,976,582					27,653,099				26,896,357
	1 Transaction costs include direct costs incurred in our acquisition of Hubs, Inc. and the impact of changes in the fair value of acquisition-related contingent consideration obligations.
	2 Stock-based compensation expense, amortization expense, unrealized (gain) loss on foreign currency and transaction costs were included in the following GAAP consolidated statement of operations categories:
			Three Months Ended									Year Ended
			December 31,									December 31,
			2021				2020					2021				2020
		Cost of revenue	$	990			$	1,032				$	3,964			$	3,820
		Marketing and sales		895				888					3,736				3,121
		Research and development		689				675					2,833				2,441
		General and administrative		(2,171	)			2,642					4,140				8,734
		Total operating expenses		(587	)			4,205					10,709				14,296
		Other (income) expense, net		215				(353	)				556				(1,373	)
	Total adjustments		$	618			$	4,884				$	15,229			$	16,743
	3 For the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, income tax effects were calculated using the effective tax rate for the relevant jurisdictions. Our non-GAAP tax rates differ from our GAAP tax rates due primarily to the mix of activity incurred in domestic and foreign tax jurisdictions and removing effective tax rate benefits from stock-based compensation activity in the quarter.

Proto Labs, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Operating Margin
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
			Three Months Ended									Year Ended
			December 31,									December 31,
			2021				2020					2021				2020
	Revenue		$	123,582			$	105,208				$	488,098			$	434,395
	Income from operations			13,050				10,991					40,342				59,836
		GAAP operating margin		10.6	%			10.4	%				8.3	%			13.8	%
		Add back:
		Stock-based compensation expense		3,556				4,056					19,095				14,673
		Amortization expense		1,552				754					6,153				3,016
		Transaction costs 1		(4,705	)			427					(10,575	)			427
		Total adjustments		403				5,237					14,673				18,116
		Non-GAAP income from operations	$	13,453			$	16,228				$	55,015			$	77,952
		Non-GAAP operating margin		10.9	%			15.4	%				11.3	%			17.9	%
	1 Transaction costs include direct costs incurred in our acquisition of Hubs, Inc. and the impact of changes in the fair value of acquisition-related contingent consideration obligations.

Proto Labs, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
			Three Months Ended									Year Ended
			December 31,									December 31,
			2021				2020					2021				2020
	GAAP net income		$	11,910			$	9,579				$	33,372			$	50,867
		Amortization expense		1,552				754					6,153				3,016
		Depreciation expense		8,705				7,949					34,335				29,578
		Interest income, net		(23	)			(149	)				(230	)			(1,332	)
		Tax expense		1,022				1,972					6,812				12,078
		EBITDA		23,166				20,105					80,442				94,207
		Add back:
		Stock-based compensation expense		3,556				4,056					19,095				14,673
		Unrealized (gain) loss on foreign currency		215				(353	)				556				(1,373	)
		Transaction costs 1		(4,705	)			427					(10,575	)			427
		Total adjustments		(934	)			4,130					9,076				13,727
		Adjusted EBITDA	$	22,232			$	24,235				$	89,518			$	107,934
	1 Transaction costs include direct costs incurred in our acquisition of Hubs, Inc. and the impact of changes in the fair value of acquisition-related contingent consideration obligations.

Proto Labs, Inc.
Comparison of GAAP to Non-GAAP Revenue Growth
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
			Three Months Ended December 31, 2021															Three Months Ended December 31, 2020			%
			GAAP			Foreign Currency1				Hubs Acquisition2				Non-GAAP				GAAP			Change3				% Change Organic4
	Revenues
	United States		$	97,934		$	-			$	(5,109	)		$	92,825			$	83,201		17.7		%		11.6		%
	Europe			22,140			294				(4,784	)			17,650				18,383		20.4				(4.0	)
	Japan			3,508			310				-				3,818				3,624		(3.2	)			5.4
	Total Revenue		$	123,582		$	604			$	(9,893	)		$	114,293			$	105,208		17.5		%		8.6		%
			Year Ended December 31, 2021															Year Ended December 31, 2020			%
			GAAP			Foreign Currency1				Hubs Acquisition2				Non-GAAP				GAAP			Change3				% Change Organic4
	Revenues
	United States		$	384,458		$	-			$	(17,621	)		$	366,837			$	345,708		11.2		%		6.1		%
	Europe			90,399			(3,692	)			(15,726	)			70,981				74,796		20.9				(5.1	)
	Japan			13,241			393				-				13,634				13,891		(4.7	)			(1.9	)
	Total Revenue		$	488,098		$	(3,299	)		$	(33,347	)		$	451,452			$	434,395		12.4		%		3.9		%
	1 Revenue for the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2021 has been recalculated using 2020 foreign currency exchange rates in effect during comparable periods to provide information useful in evaluating the underlying business trends excluding the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
	2 Revenue for the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2021 has been recalculated to exclude revenue earned from our acquisition of Hubs, Inc. to provide information useful in evaluating the underlying business trends excluding the impact of acquisitions.
	3 This column presents the percentage change from GAAP revenue for the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2020 to GAAP revenue for the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2021.
	4 This column presents the percentage change from GAAP revenue for the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2020 to non-GAAP revenue for the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2021 (as recalculated using the foreign currency exchange rates in effect during the three-month and year-ended periods ended December 31, 2020, excluding the impact of Hubs, Inc. acquisition) in order to provide a constant-currency comparison.

Proto Labs, Inc.
Product Developer Information
(Unaudited)
		Three Months Ended				Year Ended
		December 31,				December 31,
		2021		2020		2021		2020(1)
	Unique product developers and engineers served	23,376		18,157		55,330		43,808
	(1) The unique product developers and engineers served for the year ended December 31, 2020 has been restated to include unique product developers and engineers who purchased injection molding parts only. Historically we included only those developers who purchased injection molds in our metric.

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220211005097/en/

Investor Relations Contact

Protolabs

Ryan Johnsrud, 612-225-4873

Manager of Investor Relations, Corporate Development and Global FP&A

ryan.johnsrud@protolabs.com



Media Contact

Protolabs

Brent Renneke, 763-479-7704

PR & Media Strategist

brent.renneke@protolabs.com

Source: Proto Labs, Inc.

FAQ

What were Proto Labs' Q4 2021 earnings results?

Proto Labs reported Q4 2021 revenue of $123.6 million, an 18% increase YoY, with a net income of $11.9 million or $0.43 per diluted share.

How did Proto Labs perform in 2021 compared to 2020?

In 2021, Proto Labs achieved a record annual revenue of $488.1 million, up 12.4% from $434.4 million in 2020.

What is the future outlook for Proto Labs following the recent financial results?

Proto Labs is optimistic about future growth, especially after the acquisition of Hubs and plans for Protolabs 2.0.

What were the gross margins for Proto Labs in 2021?

Proto Labs reported a gross margin of 45.6% in 2021, down from 50.1% in 2020.