Insider Selling: Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) Director Sells $151,600.00 in Stock

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) Director Amy Ladd sold 400 shares of Intuitive Surgical stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.00, for a total transaction of $151,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,129. This trade represents a 61.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ISRG opened at $401.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $141.76 billion, a PE ratio of 45.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $392.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $441.60. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a 1 year low of $328.57 and a 1 year high of $603.88.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.32. Intuitive Surgical had a net margin of 28.45% and a return on equity of 16.91%. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Intuitive Surgical, Inc. will post 8.87 EPS for the current year.

Key Intuitive Surgical News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intuitive Surgical this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer upgraded ISRG to Outperform with a $500 price target, arguing that Medtronic’s Hugo and Intuitive’s Ottava face workflow, operating-room space and adoption challenges that limit their near-term threat to the da Vinci franchise. Oppenheimer upgrade report
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated its Buy rating and $685 target, citing progress on a new gastrointestinal platform, continued da Vinci 5 adoption and the company’s recurring instruments and service revenue model. Bernstein rating report
• Positive Sentiment: TCW Funds said Intuitive Surgical’s competitive moat remains intact despite near-term volatility. The ENCOMPASS study also highlights potential expansion of the Ion robotic platform into lung biopsy procedures, which could support future recurring revenue. TCW investor letter
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were strong: revenue increased 18.4% year over year to $2.89 billion and earnings per share reached $2.80, beating the $2.48 consensus estimate. However, investors are placing greater emphasis on forward procedure growth than on the earnings beat.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. procedure growth slowed in the second quarter. Analysts attributed part of the weakness to Affordable Care Act-related care deferrals, which may be temporary but create uncertainty around near-term demand. U.S. procedure growth report
• Negative Sentiment: Director Gary Guthart sold 10,000 shares for approximately $4 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represented only about 0.8% of his holdings, limiting its significance but potentially weighing modestly on sentiment. Gary Guthart insider sale

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ISRG. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $560.00 to $515.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intuitive Surgical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $483.00 target price (down from $577.00) on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Intuitive Surgical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $391.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $508.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intuitive Surgical

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ISRG. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC raised its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 4,033 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,804,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 4,180 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,367,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 269 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $152,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 203 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,941 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,798,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.64% of the company’s stock.

About Intuitive Surgical

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.