3-D printing firm Stratasys reports wider third-quarter loss

3D printing company Stratasys posted a third-quarter loss but the results were better than analysts expected.

For the three-month period, the company reported a net loss of $6.6 million, or 16 cents a share. That compared with a loss of $2.8 million, or 7 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Revenue rose to $125.6 million.

The Eden Prairie, Minn. company, which for decades manufactured expensive printers for companies such as Boeing and General Motors, recently ventured into the burgeoning consumer market with the acquisition of rival MakerBot Industries for $403 million in stock.

The deal was seen as another sign of the emerging market for affordable desktop printers capable of printing 3-D objects by depositing layer upon layer of material according to a computerized design.

David Reis, Stratasys chief executive, said the company saw “strong growth across multiple product lines that address an expanding range of applications.”

“We are especially pleased by the contribution made by MakerBot, which added $11.6 million in revenue during the period,” he said in a Thursday statement.

Follow Shan Li on Twitter @ShanLi