Out Fox The $treet

A recent report by the Feedonia group is bullish on 3-D printing growth through 2017 , but industry numbers make one question the valuations of 3-D printing stocks. Typically, investors are willing to pay up for fast-growing stocks, but in certain scenarios the price paid can rob growth from future years. Review the Internet bubble years and see how even the top stocks spent years -- if not the next decade -- with revenue growing and the share price flat to down. In this case, the top 3-D printing stocks --  3D Systems ( NYSE: DDD     ) , Stratasys ( NASDAQ: SSYS     ) , and ExOne ( NASDAQ: XONE     )  -- trade at earnings and revenue multiples suggestive of explosive growth. In reality, industry demand is expected to grow around 20% according to Feedonia through 2017, or at about the same rate as the last five years. Other widely respected industry resources, such as Wohlers, place the growth at higher rates. Either way, th...

As Proto Labs ( NYSE: PRLB     ) gains day after day, investors need to be reminded of  ExOne 's   ( NASDAQ: XONE     ) stock collapse in the related rapid prototyping sector. Like ExOne , Proto Labs stock soared to $80 from below $30 during the last year. . But after ExOne shares' major collapse in the last month, Proto Labs' investors need to understand that further stock gains could set it up for a similar fate. Proto Labs is a quick-turn manufacturer of custom parts for prototyping, while ExOne develops machines for producing additive manufacturing parts -- commonly referred to as 3D printers. In general terms, these two stocks work to improve the process of developing new products. Both companies' quick revenue growth has led to massive share-price gains that their respective fundamentals probably don't support. Read the full article here . Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details....

Typically missing earnings estimates on every report as a public company would cause a stock to plunge. In the case of industrial 3D printer manufacturer ExOne ( XONE ), the market has surprisingly overlooked every misstep. Naturally lots of potential exists in the sector and of a stock that reported 97% growth, but the company mentioned some disturbing issues in the earnings call that questions the 200% gain in the stock and sky-high valuation. ExOne is a 3D industrial printer company focused on manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines and parts via printing service centers (PSCs) around the world. It sells machines such as the S-Max pictured below that cost up to $1.5 million causing lumpy sales and unpredictable results. Investors though don't appear concerned by less than expected numbers. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

As warned back after the massive IPO gains, ExOne Company ( XONE ) was set up for a potentially rocky public market experience. The company only reported $28.7 million in revenue for all of 2012 and had a limited experience of actually selling 3D printers. The 3D industrial printer company focuses on manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines in fact didn't even sell a machine in Q1 of 2012. The stock surged to $49 prior to the earnings report after initially pricing the offering at $18 providing those initial investors with over a 170% gain in roughly four months. The Q113 numbers though were shockingly disappointing as the company yet again missed estimates blaming European weakness. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No position mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

With a 47% gain on the first trading day of an IPO, it's difficult for any stock to gain in the after market. Industrial 3D printer ExOne Company ( XONE ) is attempting to be the rare exception after impressing investors with strong guidance for 2013. The stock surged nearly 10% in trading on Thursday following the announcement. The company that focuses on manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines for industrial customers only sold 8 machines for the quarter making it difficult to develop a long-term investment thesis. Due to the late date of the IPO, the company is just now reporting the Q4 numbers at the very end of Q1. With the quarter virtually over, the 2013 guidance should be very solid at least for the first half of the year. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

The 3D printing and rapid prototyping sector entered 2013 as one of the hottest sectors. After a new IPO, finalization of a game-changing merger, continuous questions regarding the sector leader, and a rocky few months, the sector presents a different picture as the first quarter comes to an end. While the equity markets might have taken a pause as the sector got overheated, designers are moving full steam ahead into this area. Nike ( NKE ) recently unveiled its first football cleats featuring a 3D-printed plate. The plate is crafted using Selective Laser Sintering technology that uses high-powered lasers to fuse small particles of materials into 3D shapes. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No stocks mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Stratasys, Ltd. ( SSYS ) plans to report the first earnings on March 3rd since the completion of the Objet merger last December. The market will want to see the guidance provided for the combined company after nearly a year since the original announcement of the merger. The huge gain since the accretive deal became a reality will place a great importance on the reality of the accretion level. The company manufactures 3D printers and materials for prototyping and production. It offers a range of 3D printers and 120 3D printing materials. With the huge sector selloff since mid-January, the market has become increasingly concerned about the stock. Negative analysis continues to surface regarding competitor 3D Systems ( DDD ) providing Stratasys with the opportunity to become the recognized leader in the sector. In addition, the recent IPO of ExOne ( XONE ) provides more competition for 3D industrial sales and investor cash. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. ...

On Friday, the IPO for the cash-transfer service provider Xoom, Inc. ( XOOM ) soared 59% after being priced above the initial range. After reading the final prospectus , the company harkens back to the technology IPOs of the late 1990s when a stock had as much hope as hype. The company is a global online money transfer provider, focused on helping consumers send money in a secure, fast, and cost-effective way using their mobile phone, tablet or computer. Xoom has 750,00 active customers that sent more than $3.2B to family and friends in 30 countries worldwide during 2012. With a revenue base of $80M, Xoom follows in the footsteps of the recent ExOne ( XONE ) IPO (see Does The ExOne IPO Offer Any Value? ) where the company was substantially smaller than companies going public over the last few years. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: Long GSVC. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

After a 47% gain on the opening day and another huge follow-on gain Friday, does ExOne ( XONE ) offer any value now? First, investors need to understand that the company competes in the ultra hot 3D printing sector with the likes of 3D Systems ( DDD ) and Stratasys ( SSYS ) . Second, the company is a throw back to the old technology IPOs with a revenue base of only $30M in 2012. The company focuses on manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines for industrial customers and printing products to specification for customers using in-house 3D printing machines. The company has Production Service Centers (PSCs) located in the United States, Germany and Japan. It also supplies consumables and replacement parts for the machines to print products. The stock provides the unique opportunity of investing in a very small company prior to massive growth. While ExOne priced with a market value of roughly $240M, both 3D Systems and Stratasys already approach the $4B mark. While m...

The main 3D printing companies, 3D Systems and Stratasys, recently hit all-time highs so naturally this would be a great time for a related IPO. Industrial 3D printing firm ExOne (NASDAQ: XONE ) plans to join the party this week. A major surprise popped up when reading the prospectus . The company harkens back to the technology IPOs of the late 1990s when a stock had as much hope as hype. The more » Disclosure: Long GSVC. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.