Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 19,062 Shares of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 5.4% in Q1, owning 374,502 shares valued at approximately $185 million.
• Several other institutional investors also significantly raised their positions in Intuitive Surgical, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its stake by 54,010.7% during the first quarter.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Intuitive Surgical, with a recent consensus price target of $595.95 and a "Moderate Buy" rating on the stock.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 374,502 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 19,062 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Intuitive Surgical worth $185,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ISRG. Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Global Financial Private Client LLC raised its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 253.3% in the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 53 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.64% of the company's stock.

Intuitive Surgical Price Performance

ISRG traded down $5.27 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $477.08. 1,892,669 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,999,305. The company has a market cap of $171.02 billion, a PE ratio of 66.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.59. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $511.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $526.80. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a one year low of $425.00 and a one year high of $616.00.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.26. Intuitive Surgical had a net margin of 28.51% and a return on equity of 14.56%. The company had revenue of $2.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company's quarterly 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 year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ISRG. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intuitive Surgical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Intuitive Surgical from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $515.00 to $440.00 in a research report on Monday, June 9th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $590.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $684.00 to $635.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $595.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intuitive Surgical

In other news, EVP Myriam Curet sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $173,845.44. The trade was a 92.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mark Brosius sold 216 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $563.11, for a total transaction of $121,631.76. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Insiders have sold 15,859 shares of company stock valued at $7,908,248 in the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.