AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on ATRC. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 target price on shares of AtriCure in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AtriCure in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of AtriCure from $64.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of AtriCure from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of AtriCure from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.43.

AtriCure Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of ATRC opened at $28.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -120.33 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.99 and a current ratio of 3.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $33.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.64. AtriCure has a 52 week low of $28.29 and a 52 week high of $43.18.

AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The medical device company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.10. AtriCure had a negative return on equity of 1.15% and a negative net margin of 2.14%.The company had revenue of $140.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $140.50 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.33) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that AtriCure will post -0.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AtriCure news, insider Vinayak Doraiswamy sold 5,000 shares of AtriCure stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.83, for a total value of $149,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 96,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,889,781.25. The trade was a 4.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AtriCure

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in shares of AtriCure by 197.1% in the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 811 shares of the medical device company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AtriCure by 1,818.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the medical device company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in AtriCure during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in AtriCure by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,146 shares of the medical device company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in AtriCure during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 99.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AtriCure Company Profile

AtriCure, Inc is a medical device company focused on the development, manufacture and marketing of innovative therapies to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) and related conditions. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Mason, Ohio, AtriCure has established itself as a leader in surgical ablation devices designed to interrupt the errant electrical pathways that cause AF. The company’s solutions are used by cardiac surgeons and electrophysiologists to reduce the risk of stroke and improve patient outcomes in the treatment of both paroxysmal and persistent AF.

The company’s product portfolio centers on its Synergy Surgical Ablation System, which delivers controlled radiofrequency energy in a minimally invasive format, and the cryoICE Cryoablation System, which offers an alternative ablation modality using precise freezing techniques.