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Will Flagship Impella Drive Abiomed's (ABMD) Q2 Earnings?

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Abiomed’s second-quarter fiscal 2019 earnings are scheduled to release on Nov 1, before the market opens.

We believe the company is set to gain from its flagship Impella product line. However, competition in the industry is a headwind.

Fiscal Q1 Results at a Glance

In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, Abiomed posted adjusted earnings per share of 78 cents, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents. Adjusted earnings surged 73.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Revenues in the reported quarter came in at $180 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $171.9 million. Revenues increased 35.9% from the prior-year quarter.

Abiomed has a positive average earnings surprise of 18.8% in the trailing three quarters.

Which Way Are Estimates Treading?

For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abiomed’s earnings per share is pegged at 73 cents, showing a year-over-year increase of 65.9%. The same for revenues stands at $175.3 million, reflecting an increase of 32% year over year.

ABIOMED, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

ABIOMED, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | ABIOMED, Inc. Quote

Let’s see how things are shaping up prior to the earnings release.

Impella Likely to Drive Q2 Results

Abiomed’s flagship product line, Impella has consistently driven the top line. For investors’ notice, Impella is the world's smallest heart pump. It is a support system of percutaneous, catheter-based devices offering hemodynamic support to the heart.

In the last reported quarter, Impella contributed a significant 96.7% to Abiomed’s net sales. U.S. Impella revenues rose 32% to $152 million on a year-over-year basis.

It is encouraging to note that Impella enjoys a strong global presence. In fact, the product contributed $2.6 million in revenues in Japan in the last reported quarter. Additionally, Abiomed opened eight new sites in Japan.

Moreover, the Impella 5.5 heart pump received CE mark approval in Europe earlier this year. (Read More: ABIOMED's Impella 5.5 Receives CE Mark in Europe)

Management expects to see continued demand for the Impella 5.0 and RP in the quarter to be reported.

Deterrent

The cardiac devices industry is intensely competitive.

Abiomed’s products face stiff competition from organizations developing permanent heart assist products like Thoratec, Teleflex, HeartWare, Jarvik Heart and MicroMed Technology.

What Does Our Model Say?

Per our proven model, a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter. However, this is not the case here.

Earnings ESP: Abiomed has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Abiomed carries a Zacks Rank #1.

Please note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revision.

Stocks Worth a Look

Here are a few medical stocks worth considering as they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.

PerkinElmer has an Earnings ESP of +1.45% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.43% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

athenahealth has an Earnings ESP of +17.15% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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