Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Intuitive Surgical from “hold” to “strong buy,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “moderate buy” with an average price target of $493.54.
• Intuitive Surgical reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including $3.05 billion in revenue—up 21.7% year over year—and $3.00 in EPS versus the $2.65 consensus estimate.
• Despite robust results and institutional buying, investors remain focused on margin pressure from a roughly $450 million antitrust settlement and slowing U.S. da Vinci procedure growth.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on ISRG. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $454.00 target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Intuitive Surgical to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, five 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 an average target price of $493.54.

Intuitive Surgical Trading Up 1.9%

NASDAQ:ISRG opened at $452.29 on Thursday. Intuitive Surgical has a 1 year low of $328.57 and a 1 year high of $603.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $395.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $409.13. The stock has a market cap of $156.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.69, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.46.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The medical equipment provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.35. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 18.17% and a net margin of 25.54%. The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.40 earnings per share. Intuitive Surgical's revenue was up 21.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Intuitive Surgical will post 8.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Mark Brosius sold 77 shares of Intuitive Surgical stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $375.57, for a total value of $28,918.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 881 shares of the company's stock, valued at $330,877.17. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Amy L. Ladd sold 72 shares of Intuitive Surgical stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $393.10, for a total transaction of $28,303.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 179 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $70,364.90. This trade represents a 28.69% decrease in their position. 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,370 shares of company stock valued at $4,891,989. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intuitive Surgical

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ISRG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,335,753,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 95.3% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,105,544 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $970,635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027,475 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 55.8% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,557,940 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $633,505,000 after purchasing an additional 558,099 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,428,356 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,119,448,000 after purchasing an additional 193,096 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Temasek Holdings Private Ltd grew its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 416.4% in the 1st quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 227,211 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $104,742,000 after buying an additional 183,211 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.64% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Intuitive Surgical

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

• Positive Sentiment: Intuitive Surgical reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $3.05 billion, up more than 20% year over year, while earnings exceeded consensus expectations. The company also highlighted continued international expansion and adoption of its robotic-surgery systems. Intuitive Surgical Stock: Margin Hit Masks Strong Q3 Growth Story
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms remain constructive: BTIG, Stifel Nicolaus, Piper Sandler, and Oppenheimer reaffirmed or maintained Buy ratings. Baird also raised its price target, while Erste Group upgraded the stock to Buy. ISRG was added to the Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buy list. New Strong Buy Stocks for October 23rd
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarter included roughly $450 million of costs tied to an antitrust settlement, along with pricing-related pressure, which reduced margins. These items appear largely nonrecurring, but investors are assessing their effect on near-term profitability. Intuitive Surgical Reports Q3 2026 Earnings Impacted by $450M Antitrust Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: The key concern is that U.S. da Vinci procedure growth slowed to its lowest level since the COVID period. Investors worry that decelerating domestic demand could make it harder for Intuitive Surgical to sustain its premium valuation, which remains above 50 times earnings. Intuitive Surgical Sinks as U.S. da Vinci Growth Slows
• Negative Sentiment: RBC lowered its expectations for ISRG, and an analyst downgrade contributed to a gap lower in the shares. The market is emphasizing forward growth and valuation rather than the headline earnings beat. Intuitive Surgical Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

About Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical, Inc develops and manufactures robotic-assisted systems and related technologies for minimally invasive surgery. Its products are designed to help surgeons perform procedures through small incisions while providing enhanced visualization, precision and control. The company's primary platform is the da Vinci Surgical System, which is used across a range of specialties, including urology, gynecology, general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and other procedures.

The company also offers the Ion endoluminal system, which is designed to support minimally invasive lung biopsy procedures.

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