By Poco a poco (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons
Wall Street by Poco a poco (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons
Wall Street
The pan-Atlantic 3D printing community has enjoyed a busy week of key exhibitions and conferences, with TCT making an appearance both at Develop3D Live in Coventry and AMUG 2013 in the slightly more glamorous location of Jacksonville, Florida.
Therefore, the Big Three have been busy making their presences felt on both sides of the ocean as industry insiders congregated to lean about new developments and be part of the discussion.
But even though representatives from these companies have been out of the office, the daily grind on Wall Street rumbles on and there has been a reversal of fortunes for newcomer ExOne (NASDAQ: XONE), while 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) and Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) have remained solid at the top of the tree.
So here's a look at how they have moved and what position they look to be ending the week on.
3D Systems
At the very beginning of the week, 3D Systems reminded investors that the time is nearing for Q1 results and revealed that it would be posting its figures for the January-March period on April 30th at 09:00 EST.
Still plenty of time to wait, then, but even now some may be boomarking the webpage where the data will be published, or even scheduling some time in the diary to participate in the conference call.
3D Systems also announced that new software package Geomagic Design is available immediately for CAD users from every end of the spectrum.
These powerful packages - which were formally known as Alibre Design - combine organic, touch-based 3D sculpting with robust B-Rep CAD and detail design tools from Geomagic Design and will interest investors who are keeping an eye on the company’s ever-expanding portfolio of products.
So, as the week draws to an end, 3D Systems is enjoying a rally. The stock rose by 1.2 per cent in the first trading session today (April 19th), climbing to $33.17 per unit, however the week has not been a particularly smooth one for the 3D printing giant, as the company ended last week at around $35.00 per unit.
Stratasys
Stratasys was given a glowing report by Seeking Alpha this week, entitled Why I Am Long Stratasys and penned by contributor Carl Cachia. The piece included a gushing quote from another article concerning investor interest in 3D printing. The data from Lux Research projects that 3D printing will be an $8.4 billion (£4.49 billion, €6.4 billion) market by 2025, led by aerospace, medical and automotive. It is figures like these that the markets love, along with the zealous rhetoric that invariably goes with it.
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But even though Stratasys has strengthened today, its week has been turbulent, but the Seeking Alpha article does make some good points that should firm investors' positions. Stratasys has indeed always managed to beat the earnings estimates as seen in its previous four quarters, while its merger with Objet has a lot of potential for further growth.
The company itself has indicated 2013 will be strong, with Chief Financial Officer at Stratasys Erez Simha stating in 2013's guidance in the company's most recent results: "Revenue growth is expected to be relatively stronger in the second half of the year as we progress through our integration plan and revenue synergies from selling the combined product portfolio begin to ramp. Guidance assumes that the merger integration plan will be a major focus in 2013, and that the company will make significant investments to fund growth."
Stratasys has lost ground this week, retreating from the $77 it closed on before the weekend to $70.82 today. Nevertheless, the company is on an uptick, recovering by 0.4 per cent in the morning session in New York.
ExOne
ExOne - which usually does so well in these end-of-week reports - has slipped today.
As ever though, the company is still new and is set up well for gaining further ground as it matures on the markets.
Still, the baby of the tech market has only done as well as its big brothers, dipping at the beginning of the week and only now stabilising, but not yet making enough headway to turn its plateau into a rise. As such, ExOne ended last week on $37, climbing $5 in those five days thanks to a busy media week. Today, however, the firm has slipped by 0.7 per cent and lost its grip to $34.10 per unit.
Stoxx
3D printing investors may be interested to learn that leading provider in financial market indications Stoxx has launched the Stoxx Global 3D Printing Tradable Index, representing 30 companies that generate revenues directly from the 3D printing sector.
Stoxx Chief Executive Officer Hartmut Graf stated: "The 3D printing sector is thriving and gathering a lot of attention – many claim it will be the next internet.
"With the launch of the Stoxx Global 3D Printing Tradable Index, we offer market participants an innovative and strictly rules-based tool to participate from the performance of this booming sector."
