Proto Labs Reports Record Revenue for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015

Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE: PRLB), a leading online and technology-enabled, quick-turn, on-demand manufacturer, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Highlights include:

• Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 increased to a record $73.8 million, 32 percent above revenue of $56.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. Excluding the $5.1 million revenue contribution from Alphaform, the German company acquired in the fourth quarter of 2015, legacy revenue totaled $68.7 million, an increase of 22.5 percent compared with the prior year’s fourth quarter. Excluding the negative impact on revenue from foreign currency exchange rates (“constant currency”), legacy revenue was up 25 percent versus the prior year.
• Revenue from 3D printing totaled $9.1 million. Excluding the Alphaform 3D printing revenue of $2.5 million, legacy 3D printing revenue was $6.6 million, an increase of 69 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014.
• Revenue growth was driven by a 21 percent increase in the number of unique product developers and engineers served to 12,414 from 10,231 in the fourth quarter of 2014.
• Net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $12.0 million, or $0.45 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income, excluding the after-tax expense of stock compensation, transaction costs and a bargain purchase gain related to the Alphaform acquisition, amortization of intangibles and unrealized foreign currency gains, was $13.4 million, or $0.50 per diluted share. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

“In 2015, Proto Labs’ differentiated, technology-enabled digital manufacturing model helped more and more product developers rapidly take their ideas from concept to low volume production, saving R&D expense and getting their products to market faster. The fourth quarter was a strong ending to a very good year for Proto Labs with excellent growth across all our geographies and business lines,” said Vicki Holt, President and Chief Executive Officer. “On a constant currency basis, revenue in North America increased 22 percent; Europe, excluding Alphaform, grew 35 percent and Japan was up 54 percent. This strength was the result of solid execution of our marketing and sales strategy, our digital manufacturing model, which allows us to consistently deliver high quality parts, our outstanding manufacturing team members who continue to successfully scale our operations, and finally, continued strong customer demand for all our service offerings. During the quarter, on a consolidated basis, revenue from injection molding grew 23 percent, setting another quarterly record and revenue from CNC machining increased 19 percent. We were especially pleased with the growth of revenue from our legacy 3D printing, up 69 percent. This was a solid demonstration of the success of our cross-selling efforts.

“We acquired Alphaform during the quarter to accelerate our launch of 3D printing in Europe. Our new Proto Labs team members who joined us from Alphaform are partnering closely with our European and global team on the integration of that business into Proto Labs’ business model and we are on schedule. During the quarter, we completed training of the combined sales force on the full suite of our service offerings and we completed implementation of a manual order interface that will now allow customers to place orders over the Proto Labs’ website. The response to our outreach to Alphaform customers and new customers in Europe has been extremely positive and we are confident in the enhanced market opportunity that this acquisition has provided.”

Additional Fourth Quarter Highlights include:

• Gross margin was 56.0 percent of revenue for the fourth quarter compared with 59.4 percent for the third quarter of 2015 and 59.9 percent during the fourth quarter last year. The decrease from both periods was primarily due to the 260 basis point impact of the Alphaform acquisition. Other drivers included additional investments in capacity and foreign currency exchange rates.
• GAAP operating margin was 22.4 percent of revenue during the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to 26.2 percent for the fourth quarter of 2014. On a non-GAAP basis, operating margins were 25.3 percent. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.
• Cash generated from operations during the fourth quarter totaled $17.3 million.

Full Year 2015 Highlights include:

• Revenue increased 26 percent to $264.1 million compared with $209.6 million in 2014. Excluding the $5.1 million revenue contribution from Alphaform, legacy revenue totaled $259.0 million, an increase of 23.6 percent compared to 2014. On a constant currency basis, 2015 legacy revenue grew 27.2 percent and 29.6 percent including Alphaform.
• Net income for 2015 increased to $46.5 million, or $1.77 per diluted share compared with $41.6 million, or $1.60 per diluted share in 2014. Non-GAAP net income, excluding the after-tax expense of stock compensation, transaction costs and a bargain purchase gain related to the Alphaform acquisition, amortization of intangibles and unrealized foreign currency gains, was $51.9 million, or $1.97 per diluted share. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.
• Cash generated from operations during the year totaled $58.6 million. Cash, cash equivalents and investments were $145.6 million at December 31, 2015 compared with $128.4 million at December 31, 2014.

“Our accomplishments in 2015 have positioned us well for continued, sustainable growth and profitability. In 2016, we will focus on executing our strategy to reliably and quickly deliver quality custom parts to an increasing number of product developers. We will complete the integration of Alphaform into Proto Labs’ operations so that our European customers can purchase 3D-printed parts from all three of our technologies with the same reliability, quality and speed that the company is known for. We are continually refining our marketing and sales based on the successes we have seen over the past year. We will make further investments in R&D in 2016 and anticipate the launch of at least one significant new product offering within our injection molding service during the year. And we will pursue our ongoing efforts to ensure the most efficient, cost-effective manufacturing of high-quality parts. Proto Labs enjoys a very large market opportunity worldwide and demand for all our services remains strong. We have a clear strategy to capitalize on the unique value we deliver to customers, which will result in sustainable revenue and profit growth and allow us to continue to meet our commitments to all our stakeholders,” concluded Ms. Holt.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The company has included non-GAAP adjusted revenue growth that excludes the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and legacy revenue excluding the revenue contribution from Alphaform from total revenues in this press release to provide investors with additional information regarding the company’s financial results. Management believes these metrics are useful in evaluating the underlying business trends and ongoing operating performance of the company.

The company has also included non-GAAP net income, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense, transaction expenses and a bargain purchase gain related to the acquisition of Alphaform, amortization expense, and unrealized foreign currency activity (collectively, “non-GAAP net income”), in this press release to provide investors with additional information regarding the company’s financial results.

The company has also included a reconciliation of non-GAAP condensed consolidated statement of operations to GAAP condensed consolidated statement of operations. The non-GAAP condensed consolidated statement of operations provides non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP net income, which 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 non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP net income 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 2015 financial results today, February 4, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. ET. To access the call in the U.S. please dial 877-709-8150. Outside the U.S. please dial 201-689-8354. No participant code is required. A simultaneous webcast of the call will be available via the investor relations section of the Proto Labs website and the following link: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/gv3m2epe. A replay will be available for 14 days following the call on the investor relations section of Proto Labs’ website.

About Proto Labs, Inc.

Proto Labs is the world’s fastest digital manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume production parts. The technology-enabled company uses advanced 3D printing, CNC machining and injection molding technologies to produce parts within days. The result is an unprecedented speed-to-market value for product designers and engineers worldwide. 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 Proto Labs 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 Proto Labs’ future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Proto Labs cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Proto Labs expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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