On Tuesday, Stratasys started shipping its latest 3-D printer, the MakerBot Digitizer desktop 3-D scanner, a $1,400 device aimed at consumers and small businesses. Stratasys, which is based in Eden Prairie and Israel, completed its $398 million acquisition of MakerBot Industries in August, giving it access to retail and entry-level consumers of 3-D printers.
Brean Capital analyst Ananda Baruah has a "buy" recommendation on Stratasys and after a MakerBot event on Sept. 25 wrote in a research note: "We believe MakerBot can remain an incremental catalyst into '15 for Stratasys." Baruah added that the revenue gain could be significant: "We believe they [MakerBot] could generate $150M-$200M in '15."
Jumping insurance rates
On Wednesday a report by an online insurance marketplace, InsuranceQuotes.com, showed that Minnesota tops the nation in terms of how much the cost of homeowners' insurance policies jumps after only one claim is filed. Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst at InsuranceQuotes.com, told the Star Tribune that "We were really surprised by how much the increase varies depending on where you live."
Patrick Kennedy