Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Holdings in AtriCure, Inc. $ATRC

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in AtriCure, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRC) by 45.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,296 shares of the medical device company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,156 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.13% of AtriCure worth $1,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AtriCure by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,903,755 shares of the medical device company’s stock worth $193,993,000 after purchasing an additional 62,861 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of AtriCure by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,292,087 shares of the medical device company’s stock valued at $151,296,000 after purchasing an additional 322,818 shares in the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AtriCure by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 1,175,445 shares of the medical device company’s stock worth $46,501,000 after purchasing an additional 285,083 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AtriCure by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 952,089 shares of the medical device company’s stock worth $37,665,000 after purchasing an additional 91,054 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in AtriCure by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 921,897 shares of the medical device company’s stock worth $36,472,000 after purchasing an additional 71,341 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.11% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on ATRC shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of AtriCure from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AtriCure from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of AtriCure from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of AtriCure from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AtriCure in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AtriCure presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $48.50.

Trending Headlines about AtriCure

Here are the key news stories impacting AtriCure this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target from $55 to $50 but maintained a Buy rating, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The revised target remains supportive of the long-term outlook for AtriCure’s medical-device business. UBS price target report
• Positive Sentiment: AtriCure recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting earnings per share of $0.18 versus an analyst estimate of $0.13 and revenue of $153.6 million versus estimates of $151.8 million. Results also improved from a loss in the year-ago period, supporting the company’s growth and profitability narrative. AtriCure earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage is focused on whether options activity signals an unusually large upcoming move in ATRC. No specific direction is established, but elevated options interest may contribute to short-term volatility. AtriCure options activity article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also reviewing new share-registration filings. Such filings can provide AtriCure with financing flexibility, although the potential for future share issuance may raise dilution concerns. AtriCure share registration article
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares: Director Sven Wehrwein reduced his holdings by about 38%, while executives Justin J. Noznesky and Vinayak Doraiswamy cut their positions by approximately 6% each. The sales, totaling roughly $1.42 million, may weigh on sentiment, particularly after ATRC’s strong recent run.

AtriCure Trading Down 1.8%

NASDAQ:ATRC opened at $40.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 191.20 and a beta of 1.24. AtriCure, Inc. has a one year low of $25.36 and a one year high of $43.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 3.18 and a current ratio of 4.22. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.29.

AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical device company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter. AtriCure had a return on equity of 2.34% and a net margin of 1.85%.The firm had revenue of $153.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.13) EPS. AtriCure has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.240-0.320 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AtriCure, Inc. will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Justin J. Noznesky sold 6,182 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.80, for a total value of $239,861.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 100,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,888,497.20. This represents a 5.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Karen Prange sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.65, for a total transaction of $85,950.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,373 shares in the company, valued at $755,586.45. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,505,092. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

About AtriCure

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.