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 The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs 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 The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc.

The Middleby Corporation operates in the foodservice industry worldwide. The company develops and manufactures a line of solutions used in commercial foodservice and food processing. It offers conveyor, combi, convection, baking, proofing, deck, speed cooking, and hydrovection ovens; ranges, fryers, and rethermalizers; steam cooking, food warming, catering, induction, and countertop cooking equipment; heated cabinets, charbroilers, ventless cooking systems, kitchen ventilation, toasters, griddles, charcoal grills, professional mixers and refrigerators, stainless steel fabrication, custom millwork, blast chillers, coldrooms, ice machines, and frozen dessert equipment; soft serve ice cream, coffee and beverage dispensing, home and professional craft brewing equipment; and fry dispenser, bottle filling and canning equipment, IoT solutions, and controls development and manufacturing. The company was formerly known as Middleby Marshall Oven Company and changed its name to The Middleby Corporation in 1985. The Middleby Corporation was founded in 1888 and is based in Elgin, Illinois.

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.

Latest Machinery and The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs, Inc. Stock News

As of August 4, 2026, The Middleby Corporation had a $6.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $4.1 million. The Middleby Corporation’s stock is down 9.3% in 2026, up 1.4% in the previous five trading days and down 2.08% in the past year.

Currently, The Middleby Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 18.9. The Middleby Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.3 billion with a -12.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 15.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $8.401 per share for the current fiscal year. The Middleby Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

As of August 4, 2026, Proto Labs, Inc. had a $2.1 billion market cap, putting it in the 54th percentile of all stocks. Proto Labs, Inc.’s stock is up 77.3% in 2026, up 25.7% in the previous five trading days and up 104.68% in the past year.

Currently, Proto Labs, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 70.1. 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.

How We Compare The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs 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 The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
The Middleby Corporation	MIDD	C
Proto Labs, Inc.	PRLB	F

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.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

The Middleby Corporation has a Value Score of 59, which is Average. Proto Labs, Inc. has a Value Score of 18, which is Ultra Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs or Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
The Middleby Corporation	MIDD	A
Proto Labs, Inc.	PRLB	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.

The Middleby Corporation has a Quality Score of 91, which is Very Strong. Proto Labs, Inc. has a Quality Score of 86, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs 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.

The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
The Middleby Corporation	MIDD	C
Proto Labs, Inc.	PRLB	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.

The Middleby Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 42, which is Neutral. Proto Labs, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 89, which is Very Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Proto Labs, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Proto Labs, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than The Middleby Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Proto Labs, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc. Grades

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

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

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 The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs or Inc. Stock?

Overall, The Middleby Corporation stock has a Value Score of 59, Estimate Revisions Score of 42 and Quality Score of 91.

Proto Labs, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 18, Estimate Revisions Score of 89 and Quality Score of 86.

Comparing The Middleby Corporation, Proto Labs 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.