Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $611.0833.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Argus raised their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $600.00 to $630.00 in a research report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $567.00 to $621.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $593.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $550.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Intuitive Surgical to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd.

Intuitive Surgical Price Performance

NASDAQ ISRG opened at $579.83 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $544.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $505.76. Intuitive Surgical has a 52-week low of $425.00 and a 52-week high of $616.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.70, a P/E/G ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 1.68.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The medical equipment provider reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.41. Intuitive Surgical had a net margin of 28.58% and a return on equity of 15.08%. The business had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Intuitive Surgical will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Myriam Curet sold 7,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $548.43, for a total transaction of $4,147,227.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 353 shares in the company, valued at $193,595.79. This trade represents a 95.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark Brosius sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.36, for a total value of $2,463,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 907 shares in the company, valued at $496,455.52. This trade represents a 83.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 114,007 shares of company stock valued at $63,533,844. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intuitive Surgical

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the 3rd quarter worth about $881,000. AIA Group Ltd grew its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 32.8% during the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 29,582 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $13,230,000 after buying an additional 7,314 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 13.0% during the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 65,132 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $29,129,000 after buying an additional 7,502 shares in the last quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt raised its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 25.4% in the third quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt now owns 212,800 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $95,160,000 after acquiring an additional 43,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,325,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.64% of the company’s stock.

Intuitive Surgical Company Profile

Intuitive Surgical, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a medical technology company focused on the design, manufacture and service of robotic-assisted surgical systems. The company is best known for its da Vinci surgical systems, which enable minimally invasive procedures by translating a surgeon’s hand movements into finer, scaled motions of small instruments inside the patient. Intuitive’s business centers on supplying hospitals and surgical centers with systems, instruments and related technologies that aim to improve precision, visualization and control in the operating room.

In addition to its core surgical platforms, Intuitive markets a portfolio of reusable and disposable instruments, accessories, and proprietary software, and provides training, servicing and clinical support to its customers.