AtriCure again cited by an analyst as likely acquisition target

Cardiac device company AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) has again been identified by an equities analyst as a likely acquisition target for a big medical device firm.

Barrington Research listed Cincinnati-area AtriCure as among its top 15 stock picks for the year and called the company a strong candidate for a buyout, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported.

“ATRC has the only approved (left atrial appendage) product that is effective on the U.S. market and the only product we expect for at least three years,” Barrington said.

That’s a reference to the company’s AtriClip system, a device used to block a thumb-sized pouch on top of the left side of the heart to reduce blood clots.

The company scored a huge win last month when an AtriCure ablation system received U.S. regulatory clearance for atrial fibrillation, which made it the first-ever surgical device to be cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the condition.

This certainly isn’t the first time (and won’t be the last) that AtriCure receives buzz as a buyout candidate. A Canaccord Genuity analyst last year said essentially the same thing, and MedCity News wondered last year about when a strategic acquirer would step up to grab AtriCure. “If” no longer appears to be the question, but “when” certainly is.

[Photo from flickr user bsabarnowl]