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3D Printing Industry Grew 26% In 2015, Slower Than Previous Year

During a challenging year, revenue from 3D printers and services still rose 26%, to $5.16 billion, in 2015, says researcher with the Wohlers Report. Still, that’s marks a slowdown from 35% growth during the previous year, to $4.1 billion. Wohlers estimates the market for 3D printers and services will approach $10 billion in 2017. The 2015 growth rate was well above that reported by the two industry leaders: 3D Systems ( DDD ) and Stratasys ( SSYS ). 3D Systems reported 2% revenue growth in 2015, to $666 million. At Stratasys, revenue fell 7% to $696 million. Shares of Stratasys and 3D Systems were crushed in 2015, as both posted disappointing earnings quarter after quarter. Investors now appear to be returning for another look. 3D Systems has climbed 165% since marking its low of 6 on Jan. 20. It was trading near 16 Thursday afternoon, down a fraction. Stratasys is up 83% from its January low of 14.88. It was trading near 27 Thursday, little changed from its previous close. Analysts have continued to take a cautious tone on the two stocks, not fully convinced of a full-scale rebound, though 3D printing technology is being increasingly embraced by corporations, governments and universities. Wohlers said there were 62 manufacturers that sold industrial-grade 3D printers with a value above $5,000 last year, up from 49 in 2014.

Here’s How PayPal Hooked Rising E-Tail Startup Jet.com

PayPal ( PYPL ) subsidiary Braintree managed to nab e-tail startup Jet.com, a rising  Amazon.com ( AMZN ) rival, as a client because of its security features, pricing and service, a Jet.com executive said. Katie Finnegan, head of corporate development, told IBD that payments firm Braintree is “very startup friendly” and that the PayPal company has a “clear development roadmap.” “These were all purely commercial impulses,” Finnegan said, who added that Braintree was willing to implement security features that Jet.com was interested in. “ I think they’ve  been a good partner that has supported us as we’ve grown pretty exponentially since launch,” she said. Privately held Jet.com had a number of payments services options besides Braintree, including developing its own payments technology, which is the route Amazon.com has taken. Square ( SQ ), a digital cash register and payments processor, recently announced that it was adding functionality that would allow nearly any website to use it to process payments. Square’s clients are mostly small and midsize companies. New Jersey-based Jet.com raised $350 million in a Series B funding round that closed in November. The company has more than 3.5 million registered users as of January. The company declined to disclose sales figures. PayPal stock is down more than 2.5%, near 38, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Shares are below a 40.03 entry and an earlier entry at 38.62.

Google Picture Brightens, Thanks To Larger-Screen Smartphones

Fast growth for YouTube and mobile search — along with expected positive benefits from the wider adoption of large-screen smartphones — netted a price-target boost for Alphabet ( GOOGL ) and its Google subsidiary on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Alphabet stock to 900 from 880. Smartphones with big screens — such as Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) iPhone 6S Plus and Google Android Galaxy Note 5 by Samsung — will have a positive impact on Google’s revenue, wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak in a research report. “Indeed, the growing mix of large-screen smartphones combined with our agency conversations (are) indicating that these screens are monetizing higher,”  Nowak wrote. He says such ads are getting 20% to 35% higher costs per click, which is how much Google is paid each time someone clicks an ad. He says larger-screen smartphones could boost Google’s search revenue by 3%. Ahead of the Alphabet’s Q1 earnings release, “we see Google websites growing the fastest (they have) in over four years, driven by accelerating mobile search and YouTube,” wrote Nowak. Alphabet is slated to post Q1 earnings after the market close on April 21. Alphabet stock was down more than 1% in afternoon trading in the stock market today , near 758. Alphabet stock is forming a cup-with-handle base, with a 777.41 buy point. Morgan Stanley boosted its 2016 and 2017 revenue estimates for Alphabet by 1%, to $88.3 billion and $129 billion, respectively. It raised its 2016 EPS ex items estimate 4% to $35.99, and its 2017 estimate 3% to $43.49. “We are now 2% ahead of Street Q1 2016 revenue and non-GAAP EPS, and 1% ahead of full-year 2016 revenue, and 4% ahead of full-year 2016 non-GAAP EPS,” said Nowak. “We see accelerating top line, expanding core Google, non-GAAP EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margins, and positive revisions driving Google higher.” The number of minutes spent on YouTube minutes is estimated to grow 42% year over year in Q1, Nowak said, vs. a 23% rise in Q4 2015.