Asensus Surgical (NYSE:ASXC) shares ticked up before hours today on fourth-quarter results that topped the consensus forecast.
The Research Triangle Park-based robotic surgery company, which recently changed its name from TransEnterix, posted losses of -$13.8 million, or -13¢ per share, on sales of $1.1 million for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2020, for a nearly unchanged bottom line on sales growth of 61%.
Adjusted to exclude one-time items, losses per share were -9¢, 2¢ ahead of Wall Street, where analysts were looking for sales of $1.06 million.
“We are very pleased with the momentum we generated during 2020 and particularly during the fourth quarter,” Asensus Surgical president & CEO Anthony Fernando said in a news release. “This momentum continued into the early part of 2021 where we have already accomplished a number of significant milestones, including the bolstering of our balance sheet, the rebranding of the organization, and the introduction of our vision for performance-guided surgery.
“As we look to the balance of 2021, we look to continue to drive the adoption of Senhance, bringing transformative technology to surgeons, hospitals and patients across the globe. Concurrently, we will work to expand the capabilities of Senhance and deliver on our surgical assurance framework.”
Asensus did not offer 2021 financial guidance but projected milestones including 10-12 Senhance surgical robotic system installations over the course of the year, plus the filing for FDA 510(k) clearance for articulating instruments and next-generation Intelligent Surgical Unit features.
ASXC shares closed yesterday up 9.1% at $4.20 per share. In pre-market trading this morning, shares were up 4.8% at $3.97 per share.