Abbott ABT recently announced CE Mark approval for the Volt Pulsed Field Ablation (“PFA”) system to treat patients battling atrial fibrillation (AFib). The development came earlier than expected, allowing the company to begin commercial PFA cases in the European Union (“EU”) with physicians who have already gained experience with the Volt PFA system within its PFA clinical studies.

The company will further expand the use of Volt in EU markets throughout the second half of this year.

ABT Stock’s Likely Trend Following the News

After the announcement on March 27, Abbott shares rose 3.7%, closing at $131.35. The company’s EP portfolio has been seeing well-balanced growth across the United States and international markets. The introduction of the Volt PFA system marks a pivotal moment for electrophysiology in Europe. We expect the market sentiment toward ABT stock to remain positive surrounding this development.

Abbott holds a market capitalization of $226.88 billion. The company’s earnings yield of 3.9% surpasses the industry’s average yield of 0.3%. ABT delivered an average earnings beat of 1.6% in the trailing four quarters.  

Relevance of Abbott’s Volt PFA System and Latest Approval

People living with AFib face an increased risk of stroke, heart failure and death, and many rely on cardiac ablation to treat the condition effectively. A relatively new therapy option, PFA works differently from traditional ablation approaches by delivering high-energy electrical pulses to targeted areas of cardiac tissue, causing abnormal heart rhythms. As a result, it can reduce the risk of damaging adjacent tissue in patients with complex diseases or anatomy. Still, current on-market competitive PFA systems require several therapy applications with a catheter positioned in various locations due to a lack of visualization or contact assessment.

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Abbott’s Volt PFA System builds upon its electrophysiology (EP) portfolio by providing a single-catheter PFA approach, improving workflow by allowing for mapping, pacing and ablating with a single catheter to safely and effectively treat patients with AFib.

The approval is based on strong results from the Volt CE Mark study, a global clinical trial conducted at centers in Europe and Australia. The trial showed that the system achieved pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) — the method of destroying tissue causing a patient's AFib — in 99.1% of veins during ablation procedures with far fewer energy applications than on-market competitive PFA systems.

Industry Prospects Favoring ABT

Per a research report, the global PFA market was valued at $913.1 million in 2024 and is set to witness a compound annual rate of 33.1% through 2030. Technological advancements are a key driver of the PFA industry's growth, as ongoing innovations enhance ablation procedures precision, safety and efficacy.

More Developments From Abbott

In March, Abbott also announced that the FDA has approved an investigational device exemption for its Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy (“IVL”) System to evaluate the treatment of severe calcification in coronary arteries prior to stenting. The TECTONIC Coronary Artery Disease IVL clinical trial will enroll up to 335 people in 47 sites in the United States.

ABT Stock Price Performance

In the past year, Abbott shares have risen 18.4%, surpassing the industry’s 9.3% growth.

ABT’s Zacks Rank and Key Picks

Abbott currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space include Hims & Hers Health (HIMS), Boston Scientific (BSX) and Cardinal Health (CAH). Each of these carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Estimates for Hims & Hers Health’s 2025 earnings per share have remained constant at 63 cents in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have surged 106.3% in the past year against the industry’s 13.7% fall. Its earnings yield of 2.2% also outpaced the industry’s -7.3% yield. HIMS’ earnings surpassed estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, matched in one and missed on another occasion, the average surprise being 40.4%.

Boston Scientific shares have rallied 47.1% in the past year. Estimates for the company’s 2025 earnings per share have remained constant at $2.85 in the past 30 days. BSX’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 8.3%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 7.7%.

Estimates for Cardinal Health’s fiscal 2025 earnings per share have remained constant at $7.94 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have jumped 22.2% in the past year against the industry’s 5% fall. CAH’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.6%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 10.3%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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