Ashford Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. $ISRG

Key Points

• Ashford Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. by 616.2%, acquiring 2,773 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 3,223 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million.
• Insider Gary S. Guthart sold 7,893 shares at an average price of $498.64, resulting in a significant 37.44% decrease in his ownership position.
• Analyst ratings for Intuitive Surgical are mixed, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", and an average price target of $595.95, as the company continues to perform well in earnings releases.

Ashford Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG - Free Report) by 616.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,223 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,773 shares during the quarter. Ashford Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Intuitive Surgical were worth $1,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ISRG. Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Intuitive Surgical by 614.3% during the 1st quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 50 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its position in Intuitive Surgical by 253.3% during the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 53 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 300.0% in the 1st quarter. TD Capital Management LLC now owns 60 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ISRG shares. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised Intuitive Surgical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $590.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $470.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $595.00 price objective (up previously from $575.00) on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $595.95.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Performance

ISRG stock traded down $4.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $469.07. The stock had a trading volume of 2,229,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,336. The stock has a market cap of $168.15 billion, a PE ratio of 70.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $499.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $516.13. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a 52-week low of $425.00 and a 52-week high of $616.00.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $2.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.35 billion. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 14.56% and a net margin of 28.51%.The company's revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Intuitive Surgical, Inc. will post 6.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intuitive Surgical

In other news, insider Gary S. Guthart sold 29,360 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $472.49, for a total transaction of $13,872,306.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at $9,368,059.23. This trade represents a 59.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark Brosius sold 216 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.11, for a total value of $121,631.76. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 907 shares in the company, valued at $510,740.77. This represents a 19.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 44,984 shares of company stock worth $21,651,231. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Intuitive Surgical Company Profile

Intuitive Surgical, Inc develops, manufactures, and markets products that enable physicians and healthcare providers to enhance the quality of and access to minimally invasive care in the United States and internationally. The company offers the da Vinci Surgical System that enables complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach; and Ion endoluminal system, which extends its commercial offerings beyond surgery into diagnostic procedures enabling minimally invasive biopsies in the lung.