Blue Sky Capital Consultants Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)

Key Points

• Blue Sky Capital Consultants Group Inc. increased its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 770.8%, now holding 5,704 shares valued at approximately $2.8 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Intuitive Surgical, with 14 buy ratings and a consensus price target of $595.95, despite Deutsche Bank downgrading it to a "sell" with a target of $440.
• Insider trading activity includes the sale of 2,800 shares by CEO Gary S. Guthart, and insiders have sold over 15,900 shares worth nearly $8 million in recent months.

Blue Sky Capital Consultants Group Inc. boosted its position in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG - Free Report) by 770.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,704 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,049 shares during the period. Intuitive Surgical accounts for about 1.8% of Blue Sky Capital Consultants Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Blue Sky Capital Consultants Group Inc.'s holdings in Intuitive Surgical were worth $2,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ISRG. Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Intuitive Surgical by 614.3% in the first quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 50 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Intuitive Surgical in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its holdings in Intuitive Surgical by 253.3% in the first quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 53 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new position in Intuitive Surgical in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Intuitive Surgical in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Intuitive Surgical

In related news, insider Gary S. Guthart sold 7,893 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.64, for a total transaction of $3,935,765.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,187 shares in the company, valued at $6,575,565.68. The trade was a 37.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Myriam Curet sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $492.48, for a total value of $2,216,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $173,845.44. This represents a 92.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,903 shares of company stock worth $7,932,778 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of ISRG traded down $5.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $477.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,095,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,000,589. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a 52-week low of $425.00 and a 52-week high of $616.00. The firm has a market cap of $171.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.65, a P/E/G ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 1.59. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $522.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $531.90.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ISRG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Intuitive Surgical from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $515.00 to $440.00 in a report on Monday, June 9th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $559.00 to $599.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $600.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Intuitive Surgical presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $595.95.

About Intuitive Surgical

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.