Why Abiomed Shares Sank

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of medical device company Abiomed sank as low as 14% today after its quarterly results disappointed Wall Street.

So what: Abiomed's third-quarter revenue jumped a solid 19% over the year-ago period, but an 8% decline on the bottom line reinforces concerns over rapidly rising expenses. While patient usage of its Impella heart pump continues to increase nicely, Wall Street seems worried that those market share strides are coming at the expense of gross margins.

Now what: Management maintained its full-year 2013 revenue guidance of $155 million to $157 million, with worldwide Impella revenue expected to grow more than 30%.

"We are excited to announce that we achieved a record quarter for patient utilization, which reflects the continued growth in physician demand for Impella," Chairman and CEO Michael Minogue said. "We are also encouraged by the strong interest in the Impella CP launch and awareness surrounding the new CPT physician payment codes for Impella that went into effect in the beginning of 2013."

With the stock now off about 50% from its 52-week highs, buying into that bullishness might not be a bad idea.

Interested in more info Abiomed?Add it to your watchlist.

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The article Why Abiomed Shares Sank originally appeared on Fool.com.

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