AtriCure Inc.

Investment bank Roth Capital Partners upgraded shares of AtriCure Inc. (NSDQ:ATRC) to “Buy” and raised its target price by nearly 30 percent.

AtriCure, a cardiac surgical device maker, will enter “a new phase” during the next two years in which its growth rate will improve, according to a new report from two Roth analysts. That’s due to several factors, including an expansion of its U.S. sales territories, further adoption of its surgical products and a continued increase in international sales.

Cardiac medical device maker AtriCure Inc. (NSDQ:ATRC) has enrolled the first human subject in a clinical trial designed to test a hybrid procedure on patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, a condition marked by irregular heart rhythm.

The procedure being evaluated in the study combines AtriCure’s minimally invasive surgical ablation devices with a catheter-based ablation system from BioSense Webster, a Johnson & Johnson company, according to AtriCure.

By Mary Vanac

Shares of West Chester, Ohio-based AtriCure Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRC) rose more than 20 percent Tuesday, a day after the Food & Drug Administration approved the company’s AtriClip system for sale in the United States.

AtriCure shares rose as high as $7.20, ending the day up $1.07 at $6.30. More than 1 million AtriCure shares traded hands. That’s 26 times as many shares than traded on any day in the last three months.

AtriCure Inc. (NSDQ:ATRC) won 510(k) clearance from the Food & Drug Administration for its AtriClip device, which protects against blood clots during heart procedures.

The news sent AtriCure’s stock soaring 17 percent, to $6.13, in early after-hours trading June 14.

The West Chester, Ohio-based company plans an initial launch of the device later this month, with a full commercial release coming in the third quarter, according to a press release.