3D printers stocks

Top 3D Printing Stocks

Table of Contents

Best Value 3D Printing Stocks
Fastest Growing 3D Printing Stocks
3D Printing Stocks With the Best Performance
Trends in 3D Printing Sector
Advantages of 3D Printing Stocks

SSYS is top for value and performance and NNDM is top for growth

Noah Bolton

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Noah has about a year of freelance writing experience. He's worked on his investing website dealing with topics such as the stock market and financial advice for beginners.

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Updated October 06, 2022

The 3D printing industry is made up of companies that provide products and services capable of manufacturing a range of products. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, creates physical objects from digital designs. The printing process works by laying down thin layers of material in the form of liquid or powdered plastic, metal, or cement, and then fusing the layers together. Though still too slow for mass production, it is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to disrupt the manufacturing logistics and inventory management industries. The 3D printing industry is comprised of only a handful of companies, including players such as Proto Labs Inc., Faro Technologies Inc., and Desktop Metal Inc.

The industry is so young that it has no meaningful benchmark index. But the performance of these stocks can be compared to the broader market as represented by the Russell 1000 Index. These stocks have not performed well. Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS), the best performing 3D printing stock, has dramatically underperformed the Russell 1000, which has provided a total return of -12.5% over the past 12 months. This market performance number and all statistics in the tables below are as of Sept. 20, 2022.

Here are the top three 3D printing stocks with the best value, fastest sales growth, and the best performance.

These are the 3D printing stocks with the lowest 12-month trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio. For companies in early stages of development or industries suffering from major shocks, this metric can be substituted as a rough measure of a business's value. A business with higher sales could eventually produce more profit when it achieves (or returns to) profitability. The price-to-sales ratio shows how much you're paying for the stock for each dollar of sales generated.

Best Value 3D Printing Stocks
	Price ($)	Market Cap ($B)	12-Month Trailing P/S Ratio
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS)	15.49	1.0	1.6
3D Systems Corp. (DDD)	9. 00	1.2	2.0
Proto Labs Inc. (PRLB)	37.49	1.0	2.1

^{Source: YCharts}

Stratasys Ltd.: Stratasys offers 3D printing solutions, such as 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem, and related parts. It serves a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, consumer products, and healthcare. On Sept. 13, Stratasys completed the merger of its MakerBot subsidiary with Ultimaker, which offers platforms used to make 3-D printers. Ultimaker is backed by NPM Capital. The merged company will keep the Ultimaker name and focus on providing solutions, hardware, software and materials to the industry. NPM Capital will have majority ownership of the new company at 53.5%, and Stratasys will own 46.5%.
3D Systems Corp.: 3D Systems provides 3D printing solutions. The company offers a range of hardware, software, and materials designed for additive manufacturing. Its products and services are used in a variety of industries and sectors, including aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, healthcare, and more.
Proto Labs Inc.: Proto Labs is an e-commerce-based company that provides digital manufacturing services. It offers 3D printing, injection molding, CNC machining, and sheet metal fabrication. On Aug. 5, Proto Labs announced financial results for Q2 2022, the three-month period ending on June 30, 2022. Net income fell more than 80% to $2.6 million from the prior-year quarter while revenue rose 3.1%.

These are the 3D printing stocks with the highest YOY sales growth for the most recent quarter. Rising sales can help investors identify companies that are able to grow revenue organically or through other means and find growing companies that have not yet reached profitability. In addition, accounting factors that may not reflect the overall strength of the business can significantly influence earnings per share. However, sales growth can also be potentially misleading about the strength of a business, because growing sales on money-losing businesses can be harmful if the company has no plan to reach profitability.

Fastest Growing 3D Printing Stocks
	Price ($)	Market Cap ($B)	Revenue Growth (%)
Nano Dimension Ltd. (NNDM)	2.45	0.6	1,270
Desktop Metal Inc. (DM)	3.07	1.0	203.9
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS)	15.49	1.0	13.3

^{Source: YCharts}

Nano Dimension Ltd.: Nano Dimension is an Israel-based 3D printing company focused on developing equipment and software for 3D-printed electronics. It develops printers for multilayer printed circuit boards and nanotechnology-based inks. The company serves a range of industries, including consumer electronics, healthcare, aerospace, and automotive. On Sept. 1, Nano Dimension released Q2 2022 results. The company's net loss widened sharply to $40.0 million from a loss of $13.6 million in the same quarter a year earlier even as revenue soared more than 13-fold. The larger second-quarter loss was fueled partly by $10.9 million in non-cash adjustments for depreciation and amortization expenses, and share-based payments.
Desktop Metal Inc.: Desktop Metal manufactures 3D printers and related equipment used to build complex parts from metal. It also offers 3D printing software. The company serves a range of industries, including automotive, consumer products, education, and heavy industry. On Aug. 08, the company reported Q2 2022 results. Desktop Metals' net loss increase nearly seven-fold to $297.3 million compared to the same quarter a year earlier even as revenue tripled.
Stratasys Ltd. : See above for company description.

These are the 3D printing stocks that had the smallest declines in total return over the past 12 months out of the companies we looked at.

3D Printing Stocks With the Best Performance
	Price ($)	Market Cap ($B)	12-Month Trailing Total Return (%)
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS)	15.49	1.0	-34.5
Proto Labs Inc. (PRLB)	37.49	1.0	-50.6
Materialise NV (MTLS)	10.95	0.6	-53.9
Russell 1000	N/A	N/A	-12.5

^{Source: YCharts}

Stratasys Ltd.: See above for company description.
Proto Labs Inc.: See above for company description.
Materialise NV: Materialise is a Belgium-based provider of additive manufacturing software and 3D printing services. It serves a range of industries, including healthcare, aerospace, and automotive. On Sept. 7, Materialise completed its acquisition of Identity3D, which makes products that encrypt, distribute, and track digital parts as they move through supply-chains. The value of the deal was not specified in the announcement.

Trends in 3D Printing Sector

The 3D printing industry is a young one, and companies are still jockeying for market share or facing consolidation risks. Nonetheless, 3D printing has significant potential to impact a host of other industries. 3D printing businesses may be crucial in helping other companies maximize production efficiencies in an effort to reduce environmental impact out of a concern for climate change, for example. 3D printing can be used to create personalized products in the healthcare or therapeutics spaces. This technology can also be used to facilitate a faster turnaround for the creation of new models of existing products in industries such as the automotive space.

Advantages of 3D Printing Stocks

3D printing technology has the benefit of being a relatively new technology which has potential applications across a range of fields. This is one reason why the 3D printing market is expected to roughly triple in size to $44.5 billion by 2026. This versatility provides a significant benefit to 3D printing stocks within an investment portfolio. Another advantage of 3D printing technology is that it may have the potential to alleviate some of the impact of supply chain constraints. Given the ongoing supply chain crisis which has impacted a host of industries, there is an opportunity for 3D printing companies to provide a critical service.

The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or to adopt any investment strategy. Though we believe the information provided herein is reliable, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The views and strategies described in our content may not be suitable for all investors. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, all comments, opinions, and analyses contained within our content are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment, or strategy.

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YCharts. "Financial Data. "
Stratasys Ltd. "Stratasys Completes Merger of MakerBot with Ultimaker."
Proto Labs Inc. "Proto Labs Q2 2022 Earnings Release."
Nano Dimension Ltd. "Earnings Press Release for Q2 2022."
Desktop Metals Inc. " Desktop Metals Second Quarter 2022 Earnings."
Materialise NV. "Materialise Acquires Indenity3D."
3D Natives. "What Were the 3D Printing Trends in 2021?"
Fast Company. "Four 3D printing trends to look for in 2022."
Hubs. "3D printing trend report 2022."

Five 3D Printing Stocks to Consider in 2023

Image source: Getty Images.

Back in the early 2010s, stocks were booming for 3D printing -- also known as additive manufacturing, a computer-controlled process in which three-dimensional objects are made. But the boom was followed by a bust as many pure-play 3D printing companies didn't immediately deliver on lofty expectations.

Rumors of the manufacturing technology's demise are clearly premature. These days, 3D printing is a high-growth niche that is steadily reshaping the manufacturing and industrial sectors. Some estimates point to a doubling in annual revenue from additive manufacturing between 2022 and 2026. Even growth investor Cathie Wood has launched a fund focused on manufacturing tech, The 3D Printing ETF (NYSEMKT:PRNT), via her company ARK Invest.

Here's what you need to know about 3D printing and additive manufacturing stocks for 2023:

Investing in 3D printing stocks in 2023

The manufacturing of products in all corners of the economy is being revolutionized by 3D printing, from healthcare equipment to metal fabrication to housing construction. It's invading so many sectors that tech giants such as Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK), and HP (NYSE:HPQ) have launched products aimed at 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Other engineering and software outfits such as Dassault Systemes (OTC:DASTY), ANSYS (NASDAQ:ANSS), and Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) have also gotten involved in 3D printing technology.

Here are five key players to consider for 2023 that are a more focused bet on 3D printing:

Data source: YCharts. Market cap as of January 17, 2023.
Company	Market Cap	Description
Desktop Metal (NYSE:DM)	$584.3 million	Recent IPO that focuses on metal fabrication technology.
Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS)	$924.3 million	One of the original 3D printing pioneers, with a wide array of printers and supporting design software.
Xometry (NASDAQ:XMTR)	$1.3 billion	A manufacturing marketplace, including access to on-demand 3D printing services.
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD)	$1.2 billion	Another original 3D printing pioneer and the largest pure-play stock on 3D printing technology.
PTC (NASDAQ:PTC)	$15.4 billion	A manufacturing technology provider with a suite of software and related services for industrial businesses.

1. Desktop Metal

This company is a recent entry into the 3D printing space after going public via a SPAC at the end of 2020. The stock has been a terrible market underperformer since then, losing three-quarters of its value as of spring 2022. However, Desktop Metal could still be a promising investment for the long term.

As its name implies, Desktop Metal develops 3D printing hardware and accompanying design software for metal and carbon fiber parts. The company's smaller systems can handle prototyping and one-off parts, and larger printers are production grade-designed for manufacturing facilities. Desktop Metal serves companies operating in automotive, consumer goods, and heavy industrial equipment businesses.

Despite a tenuous start as a public company, Desktop Metal was actually increasing revenue at a torrid triple-digit pace in 2021. Gross profit margins are thin, and the company generated a steep net loss, but that should improve over time as the business scales its operation. Desktop Metal also has several hundred million dollars in cash and investments to fund its expansion. It used some of these funds to acquire additive manufacturing peer ExOne at the end of 2021.

2. Stratasys

Stratasys was part of the early 2010s 3D printing stock boom and bust, but its business has endured. Sales took a dip early in the COVID-19 pandemic but are rebounding as the Israel-based company picks up new manufacturing contracts.

Stratasys serves a diverse set of customers, including aerospace and automotive parts manufacturers, medical and dental companies, and makers of basic consumer products. In addition to a wide array of 3D printer models, Stratasys develops software to help users accelerate the time between design and final printing.

It isn't the highest-growth name on this list, but Stratasys is profitable (on a free cash flow basis) and has more than $500 million in cash and investments on its balance sheet, as well as no debt. Management thinks its payoff from years of research and development into additive manufacturing will accelerate in 2022.

3. Xometry

This is another newcomer to public markets. Xometry completed its initial public offering (IPO) over the summer of 2021, raising almost $350 million in cash in the process. As is often the case with new IPOs, the stock has underperformed since then. It has lost over half of its value from the time it started trading on public markets, but the business itself is rapidly growing.

Xometry is a marketplace for on-demand manufacturing of prototyping and mass production. It has a network of more than 5,000 suppliers that companies can call on to meet their fabrication needs. Among the suppliers on the Xometry platform are 3D printing companies, injection molding, and automated machining. The company reported having more than 28,000 active buyers utilizing its platform at the end of 2021.

Although it isn't profitable yet, Xometry's unique approach to the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry is growing fast. Like other names on this list, it has a sizable war chest of cash and short-term investments that it can spend on research and marketing as it tries to attract more suppliers and buyers to its marketplace.

4. 3D Systems

3D Systems was another early player in the 3D printing industry, and while it suffered through the boom-and-bust period of the early 2010s, its business has held steady for much of the past decade. After a brief dip during the early days of the pandemic, 3D Systems is back in growth mode.

The company develops printers and design software for all sorts of materials and industries (medical device makers, dental labs, semiconductor designers, aerospace, and automotive manufacturers). It claims leadership among independent 3D printing companies (as measured by sales). As the 3D printing industry expands in the coming years, 3D Systems thinks it will be able to attract lots of new business with its extensive experience and global reach.

As an established tech outfit in the manufacturing sector, 3D Systems offers investors the prospect of more stable growth, along with profitability. It also has a large net cash position from which it can consolidate its lead in 3D printers and software technology.

5. PTC

By far the largest company on this list, PTC is a longtime technology partner of manufacturing and industrial enterprises. Fast approaching $2 billion in annualized sales and highly profitable, PTC has all the tools needed to digitally transform industrial businesses.

Besides 3D printing computer-aided design software (ANSYS is a peer and software partner that also operates in this space), PTC specializes in augmented reality, industrial IoT (Internet of Things), and product life-cycle management software. Most of its revenue is subscription-based (including its Creo software that enables 3D printing), making for a stable and steadily growing business model that generates ample cash flow. PTC puts spare cash to work developing new products for its partners and makes bolt-on acquisitions of other software companies that enhance its overall portfolio.

As a larger company, PTC won't be the fastest-growing stock in the additive manufacturing and 3D printing space. However, the company has established itself as a leader in industrial technology and should be a primary beneficiary as the production of manufactured goods gets more efficient.

The future of 3D printing

Manufacturing technology is making inroads throughout the global economy by reducing the cost of production and localizing and speeding up the time it takes to deliver customer orders. This is far from mere hype. Nevertheless, as is the case with all technology investments, progress won't go straight up. Expect twists and turns in these stocks as they develop new methods to design and make products.

If you decide to invest, do so in a measured way. Maintain a diversified portfolio, be wary of stocks benefiting from investor over-optimism, and always leave spare cash to invest more when there are inevitable dips. Given enough time -- years and decades -- investing in 3D printing could eventually provide a big payoff.

Parts and logistics in difficult conditions

Miscellaneous

Hercules

Hello everyone!

Production of 3D printers is an extensive and time-consuming process that requires coordinated action of all participants, including logistics.

In the conditions of sanctions pressure, the question often arises: "How are things at Russian enterprises producing equipment?". For most enterprises, supply chains were disrupted during the pandemic, but the sanctions completely changed the picture on the market. Many companies have closed due to the inability to rebuild the business or have suspended work until the situation clears up. nine0003

If the company has a significant market share, stocks of components and components for the assembly of new equipment are an important component of production. With such resources, correcting the flow of missing parts does not pose a threat to the continuation of work.

Our printers are completely assembled in Russia, a significant part of the units and parts is made at our enterprises. We have purchased electronic components of control boards and mechanical components in sufficient quantities. Thanks to these reserves, they successfully withstood the "pause" of the missing parts and reorganized into supply channels from more friendly countries. This gave us the advantage of making 3D printers available in large quantities and allowed us to keep up the pace of developing new equipment. nine0003

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3D printing - salvation in the face of total sanctions and import substitution

Many Russian enterprises are already facing a shortage of spare parts. Imports are limited due to sanctions, supply chains are broken, and suppliers have significantly raised prices for what is left in warehouses. Economists predict that by the beginning of autumn the problem will become global, since stocks of imported components will run out at almost all enterprises that have fallen under the rink of sanctions. nine0003

But it is not for nothing that in China the word “crisis” is denoted by two hieroglyphs: “danger” and “opportunity”. Those who do not sit idly by, but are looking for ways out of the current situation, will definitely find them. One of the opportunities not just to implement the import substitution program, but to accelerate development is the use of 3D printing technologies.

How to replace irreplaceable plastic

In any modern technology: from a mixer to a car, there are a lot of plastic parts. And no matter what we are told about the strength of ABS plastic, items made from it do not last as long as metal ones. In everyday life, due to the breakdown of a plastic part, it is often necessary to throw away another working device. In industry, the lack of any plastic small things leads to a halt in the production process. nine0003

Printing plastic parts is the most basic thing you can do with a 3D printer. "Craftsmen" have long learned to print a variety of gears: for meat grinders, mixers, blenders. Manufacturers, out of concern for profit, do not supply these parts for repair at all or sell them as a kit at such a price that it is easier to buy a new device. Printing a gear on a 3D printer is much cheaper.

3D printing is used to make the most vulnerable plastic parts of cars. For example, Mazda power window gears or rear-view mirror mounts have long been printed by everyone and sundry. These parts are sold on all platforms: from Avito to AliExpress. nine0003

At the request of car enthusiasts, 3D printer owners print a variety of bushings, adapters, spoilers, body kits, even parts of bumpers. Such products are not cheap, but mainly because private traders constantly have to create models, and this takes a long time, a 3D scanner is needed. Although recently free libraries of models of various parts have appeared on the Internet.

What private traders can do can be done with much greater success in the enterprise. Moreover, due to the industrial printing of a large batch of parts, the cost of one product will be less than that of private traders. nine0003

Metal 3D printing

There are 2 technologies for metal 3D printing. The first technology is a variation of the classic FDM plastic printing process, where metal-filled filaments are used as the material. In this case, the production is carried out in 3 stages, for example, as in the process of using the Raise3D MetalFuse system. The 3D printer prints the product, then the binder polymer is removed in a special station. And the third stage is the sintering of the part in the furnace. This method of metal 3D printing is the most cost-effective, compared to metal powder printing, which will be discussed below. It also takes less time to process and remove supports. The second technology is SLM, selective laser melting. Metal powder is used as a material for printing in such 3D printers. nine0003

But technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. In the West, parts of drilling rigs and turbines are already being manufactured using 3D printing. Russia has a successful experience of using 3D printing in aircraft construction. If you need metal parts, you first need to consult with experts about which industrial 3D printer is suitable for the task at hand and what printing material is best to use.

Medical 3D printing

3D-printed products perfectly fit the model in shape and size. This quality is highly valued in dentistry. It has already been proven that printed crowns are better than milled crowns. In addition, during milling, part of the material is ground off and thrown away, and 3D printing with ceramics is a much more waste-free production. nine0003

Prostheses and orthoses are printed on a 3D printer. They are easy to model taking into account the anatomical features of the patient. Clinics are gradually refusing to apply a plaster cast for fractures. Due to itching under the cast, patients often remove it prematurely, which leads to bone and joint pathologies. Orthoses do not cause itching and do not interfere with air access to the skin.

So far, scientists are only experimenting with printing human organs from living tissues. But the results are so impressive that it's likely that transplant organs will be printed for the foreseeable future. nine0003

3D printing in construction

There are 3D construction printers that can even print multi-storey buildings. The printer will not print a 20-story building, but a 5-story building can easily be brought to life. With the use of additive technologies, panels, columns, decor elements are made. In the Netherlands, a 12-meter pedestrian bridge was printed from metal.

How to build your own business

Additive technologies are constantly improving, new materials for 3D printing appear. The list of what can be printed is expanding. So far, there are not so many 3D printing specialists in Russia, and the demand for their services is constantly growing. nine0003

It is easy to print almost the entire range of IKEA on a 3D printer: holders, cups, vases, coasters and other little things. It is possible to manufacture furniture fittings of such bizarre shapes as far as the customer's imagination suffices in any batches.

3D printers stocks

Top 3D Printing Stocks

Trends in 3D Printing Sector

Advantages of 3D Printing Stocks

Five 3D Printing Stocks to Consider in 2023

Investing in 3D printing stocks in 2023

1. Desktop Metal

2. Stratasys

3. Xometry

4. 3D Systems

5. PTC

The future of 3D printing

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Parts and logistics in difficult conditions

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