Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on ISRG. Argus lowered their target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $630.00 to $560.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $570.00 to $550.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $616.00 price target on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays set a $712.00 price target on Intuitive Surgical and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $603.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $614.95.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Intuitive Surgical stock opened at $464.45 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.87, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $490.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $513.40. Intuitive Surgical has a 12-month low of $425.00 and a 12-month high of $603.88.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.26. Intuitive Surgical had a net margin of 28.38% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.21 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Intuitive Surgical will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Intuitive Surgical

In other Intuitive Surgical news, VP Fredrik Widman sold 133 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $494.96, for a total value of $65,829.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $326,673.60. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mark Brosius sold 645 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $485.01, for a total transaction of $312,831.45. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,613 shares in the company, valued at $782,321.13. This represents a 28.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,943 shares of company stock valued at $17,279,568 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intuitive Surgical

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,963,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Carter Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the fourth quarter valued at $148,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 27.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,888 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,901,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. 83.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Intuitive Surgical

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals — Intuitive reported a strong quarter (EPS and revenue beats, healthy margins and ~19% year-over-year revenue growth), which underpins investor confidence in growth and helps justify the stock’s premium P/E.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / thematic support — Motley Fool coverage frames ISRG as a high-growth pick and highlights the company’s durable competitive position in surgical robotics, which can support longer-term investor demand. Intuitive Surgical Maintains Edge Despite Security Breach
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent trading moves — Coverage of ISRG’s intraday/settlement gains shows short-term buyer interest, but volume and market context suggest this is a continuation of momentum trading rather than a new fundamental catalyst. ISRG Rises But Trails Market
• Negative Sentiment: Security / operational risk — A phishing attack in March compromised an employee account and exposed some customer contact, employee and corporate information; this raises short-term reputational and operational risk and could pressure sentiment until controls and remediation are clearly communicated. Intuitive Surgical Maintains Edge Despite Security Breach
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade — Zacks cut ISRG from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which can reduce short-term buying pressure from model-driven funds and investor groups that track analyst sentiment. Zacks.com

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.