News Release

« Back

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

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)--Feb. 11, 2022-- 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.
 

 

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.