Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $596.05.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ISRG shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $684.00 to $635.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $600.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $510.00 to $470.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BTIG Research set a $560.00 target price on shares of Intuitive Surgical and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $650.00 price objective (up from $590.00) on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Intuitive Surgical Price Performance

Shares of ISRG traded down $4.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $551.14. The stock had a trading volume of 2,091,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,646,559. Intuitive Surgical has a 52 week low of $397.47 and a 52 week high of $616.00. The company has a market capitalization of $197.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.98, a P/E/G ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 1.70. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $516.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $538.54.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $2.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 14.55% and a net margin of 27.81%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Intuitive Surgical will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Mark Brosius sold 492 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $573.78, for a total transaction of $282,299.76. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,056 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,327,251.68. This trade represents a 10.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Robert Desantis sold 11,545 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $499.22, for a total value of $5,763,494.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,607,925.28. This trade represents a 68.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,111 shares of company stock worth $15,364,055 in the last quarter. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intuitive Surgical

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ISRG. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 614.3% in 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 during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Intuitive Surgical during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 83.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.