What long-term trends can investors see in PRLB's 2024 EPS?

Proto Labs (PRLB) has shown volatile EPS trends over the past ten years, with a general decline from $3.77 in 2015 to $0.66 in 2024. However, there are some fluctuations worth noting:

1. **Recent Performance**: The EPS in 2024 was $0.66, which represents a significant decrease from the previous year's EPS of $2.35. This indicates a sharp decline in profitability.

|code|Ticker|Name|Date|Diluted EPS (FY) YoY|Diluted EPS (FY)|market_code|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2015|10.624999999999996|1.77|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2016|-9.039548022598867|1.61|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2017|19.875776397515516|1.93|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2018|45.5958549222798|2.81|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2019|-16.370106761565832|2.35|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2020|-19.57446808510639|1.89|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2021|-35.978835978835974|1.21|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2022|-411.5702479338843|-3.77|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2023|117.50663129973474|0.66|169|
|PRLB|PRLB.N|Proto Labs|2024|0|0.66|169|

2. **Stability**: The EPS has been relatively stable since 2018, with a slight dip in 2019 and a significant drop in 2024. This suggests that the company has faced some challenges in recent years, but the EPS has not experienced a continuous decline.
3. **Growth Rate**: The growth rate has been negative in recent years, with a significant decline from 2019 to 2024. This could be indicative of operational issues or market conditions affecting the company's profitability.
4. **Comparison with Historical Averages**: The EPS in 2024 is lower than the average EPS over the past ten years, which suggests that the company is currently underperforming compared to its historical norms.

Overall, investors should be cautious due to the recent decline in EPS and the volatility observed over the past decade. The company's ability to stabilize and improve its EPS in the future will be crucial for investor confidence.