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Abiomed (ABMD) Scores a Strong Buy Right Now: Here's How

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Headquartered in Danvers, Abiomed, Inc.  is engaged in developing, manufacturing and marketing medical products, designed to assist or replace the pumping function of a failing heart. The company has rallied 15.6% over the last three months, ahead of the S&P 500’s 4.4% gain and Zacks categorized Medical - Instruments sub-industry's 11.2%. The stock has a market cap of $6.35 billion. The company’s five-year historical growth rate is also favorable at 83.4% as compared to 2.8% of the S&P 500 index and 9.1% of the broader industry.

With solid prospects, this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock is an attractive pick at present. Let’s find out whether the recent positive trend is a sustainable one.

Abiomed has a positive earnings surprise of 8.1% for the last four quarters. Also, it has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 32.5%.

The market is upbeat about a study unveiled recently by Abiomed which showed that the use of hemodynamic support with Impella 2.5 heart pump during high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HRPCI) reduces the risk of acute kidney injury even for patients with preexisting kidney diseases and low ejection fraction.

The introduction of the company’s third-generation Impella CP heart pump last month also drove the stock price significantly. This new technology offers features for optimal care during a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in high-risk patients known as a Protected PCI and for patients treated with Impella heart pumps in the ICU.

Also, the company recently announced the enrollment of the first patient under the FDA-approved study, STEMI Door to Unloading, evaluating Impella CP system in acute myocardial infarction. This has driven market sentiments.

As the release of financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2018is round the corner, a strong fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 performance and company’s promising 2018 revenue guidance which calls for an increase of 25–29% over the prior year has boosted investors’ confidence.

Key Picks

A few better-ranked medical stocks are Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (MLAB - Free Report) , Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (EW - Free Report) and Align Technology, Inc. (ALGN - Free Report) . Notably, Mesa Laboratories and Edwards Lifesciences sport a Zacks Rank #1, while Align Technology carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Mesa Laboratories has a positive earnings surprise of 2.84% over the last four quarters. The stock has added roughly 13.3% over the last three months.

Edwards Lifesciences has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 15.2%. The stock has gained around 25.6% over the last three months.

Align Technology has an expected long-term adjusted earnings growth of almost 24.1%. The stock has added roughly 34.1% over the last three months.

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