3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

3D Systems Co. (NYSE:DDD) shares gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $3.04, but opened at $3.39. 3D Systems shares last traded at $3.82, with a volume of 4,484,326 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DDD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of 3D Systems in a report on Saturday, January 18th. Craig Hallum raised 3D Systems to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of 3D Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised 3D Systems from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, 3D Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $3.25.

3D Systems Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 3.31 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3.05. The stock has a market cap of $515.90 million, a P/E ratio of -0.96 and a beta of 1.61.

3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The 3D printing company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by ($0.02). 3D Systems had a negative net margin of 117.65% and a negative return on equity of 26.72%. Research analysts forecast that 3D Systems Co. will post -0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at 3D Systems

In related news, EVP Charles W. Hull sold 115,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.86, for a total value of $447,648.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 331,955 shares in the company, valued at $1,281,346.30. This represents a 25.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey A. Graves bought 60,000 shares of 3D Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.85 per share, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,091,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,203,360.70. The trade was a 5.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 3D Systems

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDD. ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in 3D Systems by 26.0% in the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 3,878,628 shares of the 3D printing company’s stock valued at $11,015,000 after buying an additional 799,157 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC lifted its stake in 3D Systems by 3,140.9% in the third quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 508,951 shares of the 3D printing company’s stock valued at $1,445,000 after buying an additional 525,688 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in 3D Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,143,000. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its stake in 3D Systems by 1,844.0% in the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 359,817 shares of the 3D printing company’s stock valued at $1,022,000 after buying an additional 341,308 shares during the period. Finally, Silverberg Bernstein Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in 3D Systems by 32.8% in the third quarter. Silverberg Bernstein Capital Management LLC now owns 1,223,759 shares of the 3D printing company’s stock valued at $3,475,000 after buying an additional 302,484 shares during the period. 64.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About 3D Systems

3D Systems Corporation provides 3D printing and digital manufacturing solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company offers 3D printers technologies, such as stereolithography, selective laser sintering, direct metal printing, multi jet printing, color jet printing, polymer extrusion, and extrusion and SLA based bioprinting that transform digital data input generated by 3D design software, computer aided design (CAD) software, or other 3D design tools into printed parts.