Sifting through countless of stocks in the Machinery industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc.

Proto Labs, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital manufacturer of custom parts in the United States and Europe. It offers manufacturing services, such as molding, computer numerical control machining, 3D printing, and sheet metal to developers, engineers, and supply chain teams. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Maple Plain, Minnesota.

Helios Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered motion control and electronic controls technology solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through two segments; Hydraulics and Electronics. The Hydraulics segment designs and manufactures hydraulic motion control and fluid conveyance technology products, including cartridge valves, manifolds, and quick release couplings, as well as engineers complete hydraulic system solutions. This segment sells its products under the Sun Hydraulics, Faster, NEM, Taimi, Daman, and Schultes brands. The Electronics segment designs and manufactures customized electronic controls systems, displays, wire harnesses, and software solutions. This segment sells its products under Enovation Controls, Murphy, Zero Off, HCT, Balboa Water Group, i3PD and Cygnus Reach and Joyonway brands. It markets and sells hydraulic products and engineered solutions through value-added distributors, as well as directly to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); and electronic products to OEMs, distributors, and system integrators. It serves construction, material handling, agriculture, industrial, mobile, energy, recreational vehicles, marine, aerospace, and health and wellness sectors. The company was formerly known as Sun Hydraulics Corporation and changed its name to Helios Technologies, Inc. in June 2019. Helios Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 1970 and is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida.

Latest Machinery and Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies, Inc. Stock News

As of August 21, 2026, Proto Labs, Inc. had a $1.9 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $3.7 million. Proto Labs, Inc.’s stock is up 57.4% in 2026, down 13.3% in the previous five trading days and up 66.9% in the past year.

Currently, Proto Labs, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 63.1. Proto Labs, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $560.5 million with a 5.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 10.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.214 per share for the current fiscal year. Proto Labs, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of August 21, 2026, Helios Technologies, Inc. had a $2.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 57th percentile of all stocks. Helios Technologies, Inc.’s stock is up 42.4% in 2026, down 6.5% in the previous five trading days and up 48.35% in the past year.

Currently, Helios Technologies, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 35.6. Helios Technologies, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $891.3 million with a 8.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 9.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.197 per share for the current fiscal year. Helios Technologies, Inc. currently has a 0.6% dividend yield.

How We Compare Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Proto Labs, Inc.	PRLB	B
Helios Technologies, Inc.	HLIO	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Proto Labs, Inc. has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong. Helios Technologies, Inc. has a Growth Score of 77, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Growth Grade breakdown above, both Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s upward growth, further research should be conducted into both companies’ other financial metrics before deciding whether to invest.

Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Proto Labs, Inc.	PRLB	A
Helios Technologies, Inc.	HLIO	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Proto Labs, Inc. has a Quality Score of 85, which is Very Strong. Helios Technologies, Inc. has a Quality Score of 94, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Proto Labs, Inc.	PRLB	A
Helios Technologies, Inc.	HLIO	A

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Proto Labs, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 86, which is Very Positive. Helios Technologies, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 84, which is Very Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, both Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. have a grade of A. For those focusing solely on a company’s estimate revisions, other financial metrics will need to be evaluated to determine whether Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies or Inc. is a better fit.

Other Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Quality and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Proto Labs, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 73, Estimate Revisions Score of 86 and Quality Score of 85.

Helios Technologies, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 77, Estimate Revisions Score of 84 and Quality Score of 94.

Comparing Proto Labs, Inc., Helios Technologies and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.