Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks reports.

ISRG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $573.00 to $454.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $469.00 target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $590.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $670.00 to $550.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised Intuitive Surgical to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $502.53.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Up 2.1%

ISRG stock opened at $423.96 on Wednesday. Intuitive Surgical has a 12-month low of $328.57 and a 12-month high of $603.88. The company has a market cap of $149.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.56, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $386.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $411.26.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Intuitive Surgical will post 8.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Intuitive Surgical news, EVP Mark Brosius sold 77 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $375.57, for a total transaction of $28,918.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $330,877.17. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Gary Loeb sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.00, for a total value of $151,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,016,280. This trade represents a 6.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,370 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,989. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ISRG. Alteri Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC now owns 483 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Intuitive Surgical by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $741,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 5.2% during the first quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 462 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 58.1% during the first quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. now owns 68 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co lifted its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 1.0% during the first quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co now owns 2,542 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. 83.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Intuitive Surgical

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded Intuitive Surgical to “strong buy” and initiated coverage at “overweight,” citing the company’s high-quality healthcare-equipment business despite a softer medical-device market. The bullish rating provides a near-term catalyst for the shares. Barclays initiates coverage of Intuitive Surgical
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler also assigned a Buy rating, reinforcing favorable sell-side sentiment around ISRG. Intuitive Surgical gets a Buy from Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s single-port robotic platform is gaining momentum, with rising procedures, utilization and system placements. Expanding medical indications and international adoption could support longer-term revenue growth. Can ISRG’s Single-Port Platform Become the Next Billion-Dollar Franchise?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ average recommendation remains bullish, but commentary warns that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic and that ISRG’s valuation leaves limited room for disappointment. Is Intuitive Surgical a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: A reported short-interest figure of zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio suggests the latest short-interest data may be incomplete or erroneous, limiting its usefulness as a trading signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer expressed concern that Johnson & Johnson and other rivals could intensify competition in robotic surgery, potentially pressuring ISRG’s long-term market position. Intuitive Surgical and JNJ Give Jim Cramer More Than Valuation to Consider

Intuitive Surgical Company Profile

Intuitive Surgical, Inc develops and commercializes robotic-assisted systems and related technologies designed to support minimally invasive medical procedures. The company’s products are intended to help surgeons perform operations through small incisions while providing enhanced visualization, precision, and control.

Its principal product is the da Vinci Surgical System, a platform used across a range of specialties, including general surgery, urology, gynecology, thoracic surgery, and cardiac procedures.