Advertisement
CODI vs PRLB
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Compass Diversified (CODI) vs. Proto Labs (PRLB) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Compass Diversified (CODI) is recovering from a major fraud-related crisis at its Lugano subsidiary, which triggered a stock collapse of roughly 79% during 2025, though its remaining eight subsidiaries continue to generate positive cash flow and operational growth.
- Proto Labs (PRLB) has delivered record revenue, consistent profitability, and strong share-price momentum, driven by its digital manufacturing platform and an expanding global partner network.
- CODI carries approximately $2.05 billion in total debt and faces ongoing leverage challenges, while PRLB operates with a debt-free balance sheet and over $142 million in cash and investments.
- PRLB has posted a one-year return above 88%, whereas CODI has exhibited extreme volatility, including a sharp decline followed by a partial recovery in 2026.
- CODI's diversified holding company structure provides resilience through its eight healthy subsidiaries, while PRLB's specialized focus on digital manufacturing offers concentrated exposure to industrial and technology-driven growth trends.
- Risk profiles differ dramatically: CODI's story centers on financial recovery, legal overhang, and deleveraging, while PRLB faces margin pressures and a premium valuation multiple.
Introduction
Investors comparing CODI and PRLB are essentially weighing two very different investment narratives. Compass Diversified is a holding company managing a portfolio of middle-market industrial and consumer businesses, currently navigating one of the most challenging periods in its history. Proto Labs is a technology-enabled digital manufacturer riding secular tailwinds in on-demand prototyping and production. This comparison is relevant for investors evaluating turnaround stories against growth-oriented industrials, and for those seeking to understand how divergent risk profiles shape relative performance in the current market. Both stocks trade on the NYSE but occupy fundamentally different positions on the risk-reward spectrum.
CODI Overview and Recent Performance
CODI, or Compass Diversified Holdings, functions as a permanent-capital holding company that owns controlling interests in middle-market businesses across branded consumer, industrial, healthcare, and outsourced services sectors. Its portfolio includes subsidiaries such as 5.11 (tactical apparel), BOA (fit systems), PrimaLoft (performance insulation), Arnold Magnetic Technologies, and Sterno (food warming products), among others. In recent months, CODI's narrative has been dominated by the fallout from a significant fraud uncovered at its Lugano Holdings subsidiary. An internal investigation revealed that Lugano's former CEO engaged in a deliberate, systemic scheme involving fabricated sales, overstated inventory, and undisclosed financing arrangements. Lugano subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company entered into a second forbearance agreement with lenders in July 2025, extending relief through late October 2025 and increasing revolving credit facility availability to $60 million. The stock lost roughly 79% of its value during 2025, though a partial recovery emerged in 2026. Critically, CODI's remaining eight subsidiaries continue to perform, with full-year 2025 subsidiary adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization — a measure of operating profitability) projected between $330 million and $360 million excluding Lugano. Management is pursuing both organic deleveraging and potential subsidiary divestitures to reduce leverage back toward its long-term target range.
PRLB Overview and Recent Performance
PRLB, or Proto Labs, Inc., operates as a leading digital manufacturing service provider, offering rapid prototyping and on-demand production parts through an e-commerce-driven platform. The company's capabilities span CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining, injection molding, 3D printing, and sheet metal fabrication, serving product developers and engineers across diverse end markets globally. In recent quarters, PRLB has demonstrated accelerating momentum, posting record quarterly revenue of $136.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, a 12.1% year-over-year increase driven primarily by CNC Machining services, which grew 25% year-over-year. Full-year 2025 revenue reached a record $533.1 million, up 6.4% from 2024. Net income for the full year was $21.2 million, or $0.88 per diluted share. The company also expanded its manufacturing footprint with a new 120,000-square-foot DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) facility in Raleigh, North Carolina, targeting aerospace, defense, and medical end markets. CEO Suresh Krishna purchased $75,000 worth of company stock in August 2025, signaling internal confidence. Revenue per customer contact rose approximately 20% year-over-year, though total customer contacts dipped slightly. The company maintains a debt-free balance sheet with $142.4 million in cash and investments, and has been actively repurchasing shares — buying back $46.4 million of stock during the full year 2025 alone. For fiscal 2026, management guided for revenue growth between 6% and 8%.
Trending AI Robots
In a market environment as divergent as the one separating CODI and PRLB, traders increasingly turn to artificial intelligence for data-driven decision-making. Tickeron's Trending AI Robots page showcases a curated selection of AI-powered trading bots — among hundreds available on the platform — that are specifically optimized for current market conditions. These bots trade across thousands of different tickers, employing a wide range of trading styles, strategies, and timeframes. Among the top-performing bots on the platform, annualized returns have ranged from 78% to as high as 290%, with some strategies achieving Sharpe ratios above 2.0 — a metric that evaluates returns relative to risk, where readings above 1.0 are generally considered favorable. Each bot features distinct statistics including profit factor, drawdown levels, trade frequency, and win rates, allowing users to evaluate strategies that match their own risk tolerance and investment horizon. Exploring the Trending AI Robots section can help traders identify signal-based and virtual agent strategies that are actively navigating today's complex market landscape.
Head-to-Head Comparison
The contrast between CODI and PRLB is stark across nearly every dimension. From a business model perspective, CODI is a diversified holding company whose fortunes depend on multiple subsidiary performances, capital allocation decisions, and deleveraging execution. PRLB is a focused, single-entity digital manufacturer whose growth is tied to secular trends in e-commerce-driven industrial sourcing and faster product development cycles. On momentum, PRLB has clearly outperformed — its stock roughly doubled over the trailing twelve months, while CODI experienced a severe drawdown and remains well below its pre-crisis levels despite a 2026 bounce. Financially, PRLB holds a pristine balance sheet with no long-term debt, while CODI carries approximately $2.05 billion in total debt with a leverage ratio significantly above its covenant threshold — a risk factor that dominates CODI's investment thesis. Sector exposure also differs: CODI spans consumer and industrial verticals including apparel, outdoor recreation, and food service, whereas PRLB concentrates on the digital manufacturing and industrial technology space. Valuation diverges as well — PRLB trades at roughly 70 times trailing earnings, a premium reflecting growth expectations, while CODI trades at a steep discount to its pre-crisis levels. The risk factors could not be more different: CODI's near-term outlook hinges on legal resolution, lender cooperation, and successful deleveraging, while PRLB's primary risks center on sustaining growth rates, managing margin mix between factory and network revenue, and justifying its elevated valuation multiple.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trend consistency, stability metrics, and relative positioning, Tickeron's AI-driven analysis would likely favor PRLB in the current environment. Proto Labs exhibits a cleaner trend structure with consistent revenue growth, positive earnings, a debt-free balance sheet, and strong relative momentum — factors that algorithmic models typically reward. CODI, while showing early signs of stabilization and offering potential deep-value appeal through its remaining subsidiaries, continues to carry significant uncertainty related to its leverage profile, lender negotiations, and the ongoing resolution of the Lugano matter. That said, AI systems also evaluate mean-reversion scenarios, and CODI's valuation may register as statistically attractive to certain contrarian-oriented models. The probabilistic edge, however, tilts toward the stock with steadier fundamentals, clearer catalysts, and fewer binary risk events — and at present, that description fits PRLB more comfortably.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CODI is a Buy and PRLB is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CODI’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whilePRLB’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s).
- CODI’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- PRLB’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CODI’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while PRLB’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CODI’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- PRLB’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
CODI (@Industrial Conglomerates) experienced а +0.50% price change this week, while PRLB (@Metal Fabrication) price change was -4.08% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Industrial Conglomerates industry was -2.69%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -7.61%, and the average quarterly price growth was +4.63%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Metal Fabrication industry was -5.07%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -4.80%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.13%.
Reported Earning Dates
CODI is expected to report earnings on Aug 10, 2026.
PRLB is expected to report earnings on Oct 30, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Industrial Conglomerates (-2.69% weekly)Industrial Conglomerates specialize in numerous types of products, most of which comprise industrial goods, while some also go towards meeting household needs. Honeywell (makes engineering services and aerospace systems), United Technologies Corporation(manufactures aircraft engines, aerospace systems, HVAC, elevators and escalators, fire and security, building systems, and industrial products, among others), 3M (over 60,000 products under several world-renowned brands, including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, personal protective equipment, window films, paint protection films, dental and orthodontic products, electrical & electronic connecting and insulating materials, medical products, car-care products, electronic circuits, healthcare software and optical films).
@Metal Fabrication (-5.07% weekly)The industry is involved in value-added processes including creation of metal structures like machines and parts by cutting, bending and assembling, using various raw materials. A fabrication shop often bids on a project/job, and then builds the product if awarded the contract. Robotics and automation are making their way into the industry apparently to fill in skills gap[s19] . RBC Bearings Incorporated, Timken Company and Valmont Industries, Inc. are some of the largest metal fabrication companies in the U.S.
| CODI | PRLB | CODI / PRLB | |
| Capitalization | 758M | 1.79B | 42% |
| EBITDA | 30.4M | 66.2M | 46% |
| Gain YTD | 110.000 | 48.349 | 228% |
| P/E Ratio | N/A | 70.80 | - |
| Revenue | 1.85B | 546M | 338% |
| Total Cash | 60.7M | 136M | 45% |
| Total Debt | 1.86B | 2.62M | 70,965% |
CODI | PRLB | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 13 | 66 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 62 Fair valued | 84 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 100 | 87 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 46 | 39 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 100 | 51 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 35 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
CODI's Valuation (62) in the Investment Managers industry is in the same range as PRLB (84) in the Industrial Machinery industry. This means that CODI’s stock grew similarly to PRLB’s over the last 12 months.
CODI's Profit vs Risk Rating (100) in the Investment Managers industry is in the same range as PRLB (100) in the Industrial Machinery industry. This means that CODI’s stock grew similarly to PRLB’s over the last 12 months.
PRLB's SMR Rating (87) in the Industrial Machinery industry is in the same range as CODI (100) in the Investment Managers industry. This means that PRLB’s stock grew similarly to CODI’s over the last 12 months.
PRLB's Price Growth Rating (39) in the Industrial Machinery industry is in the same range as CODI (46) in the Investment Managers industry. This means that PRLB’s stock grew similarly to CODI’s over the last 12 months.
PRLB's P/E Growth Rating (51) in the Industrial Machinery industry is somewhat better than the same rating for CODI (100) in the Investment Managers industry. This means that PRLB’s stock grew somewhat faster than CODI’s over the last 12 months.
| CODI | PRLB | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 64% | 4 days ago 81% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 72% | 4 days ago 76% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 73% | 4 days ago 56% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 65% | 4 days ago 69% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 72% | 4 days ago 72% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 63% | 18 days ago 74% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 15 days ago 70% | 6 days ago 67% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 62% | 4 days ago 78% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 48% | 4 days ago 74% |
Advertisement
| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| VEM | 26.69 | 0.38 | +1.43% |
| Virtus Emerging Markets Dividend ETF | |||
| PRFD | 50.55 | N/A | N/A |
| PIMCO Preferred and Cp Sec Act Exc-Trd | |||
| UTES | 77.57 | -0.02 | -0.03% |
| Virtus Reaves Utilities ETF | |||
| CAFG | 33.50 | -0.02 | -0.06% |
| Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows Gr Ldrs ETF | |||
| TLTI | 43.50 | -0.28 | -0.65% |
| NEOS Enhanced Income 20+ Yr Trsy Bd ETF | |||
CODI and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CODI has been loosely correlated with IIIN. These tickers have moved in lockstep 55% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if CODI jumps, then IIIN could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To CODI | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODI | 100% | +0.30% | ||
| IIIN - CODI | 55% Loosely correlated | +0.10% | ||
| PRLB - CODI | 53% Loosely correlated | -0.12% | ||
| MLI - CODI | 46% Loosely correlated | -0.67% | ||
| MDU - CODI | 46% Loosely correlated | -0.10% | ||
| NWPX - CODI | 46% Loosely correlated | -2.99% | ||
More | ||||
PRLB and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, PRLB has been loosely correlated with CODI. These tickers have moved in lockstep 53% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if PRLB jumps, then CODI could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To PRLB | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRLB | 100% | -0.12% | ||
| CODI - PRLB | 53% Loosely correlated | +0.30% | ||
| NWPX - PRLB | 48% Loosely correlated | -2.99% | ||
| CMC - PRLB | 45% Loosely correlated | +0.45% | ||
| WOR - PRLB | 43% Loosely correlated | +1.01% | ||
| ESAB - PRLB | 40% Loosely correlated | +1.10% | ||
More | ||||