Jun.9, 2013
Stratasys Ltd was formed in 2012 by the merger of Stratasys and Israel-based Objet. On May 23, Stratasys held its first Analyst and Investor Day in New York City since the merger. Needham & Company reiterated a Buy rating and $94 price target on Stratasys. According to Needham Co. analyst James Ricchiuti, the company indicated it could pursue other acquisitions.
Ricchiuti wrote, "As expected, mgmt reaffirmed its guidance for 2013 and appeared optimistic about the progress achieved thus far in the integration of the two companies. For the first time we can recall since the merger, mgmt expressed interest in pursuing an acquisition(s), although we believe the company will still be focused primarily on driving organic growth in the near term, particularly as it begins to benefit from cross-selling initiatives of the combined reseller channels."
Yesterday TechCrunch reported that Stratasys is in talks to buy MakerBot. Stratasys, manufacturer of professional 3D printers, has not yet any products for the fast-growing consumer market, while its industrial-centric competitor has jumped in already in the beginning of 2012 with cube 3D printers.
Last month Staples began selling 3D Systems' Cube in some stores, afterwards Cube appears on the shelves of the largest Chinese online retailer JD.com. The sales of Cube has consistently exceeded expectations.
With Makerbot's $50 million in revenue this year, Stratasys could immediately benefit from the possible acquisition. The question is just how much Stratasys is willing to pay for Makerbot's existing products and market.
Alternatively, MakerBot could also just be an independent entity. According to a recent WSJ report, Makerbot is in talks with investors to raise $25 million on a $300 million valuation. TechCrunch confirmed that they had also gotten the information "that the company had been raising, but at a valuation quite beyond that." MakerBot was founded in 2009, and more than 20,000 of its 3-D printers have been put to use since 2009. Its website Thingiverse features more than 80,000 3-D models and designs and the company has recently released a 3D scanner prototype aiming to enter the low-end 3D scanner market. Makerbot shows a strong growth potential and it could also just go public by itself.
Makerbot has no comment on speculation. But at the MakerBot Factory opening on Friday, Makerbot founder and CEO Bre Pettis told reporters: "I knew that was going to happen. I also knew that I couldn't say anything." Since Makerbot just opened a 50,000 square feet (4,645 sqm) of production and warehouse space in Brooklyn, Pettis added "We're not going anywhere. We just moved in here. We just opened up!".
(Images credit: Makerbot)
Posted in 3D Printing Company
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Could this raise the quality of Makerware up to CatalystEX's, I wouldn't mind...
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