Robert W. Baird Lowers Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) Price Target to $575.00

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $600.00 to $575.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the medical equipment provider's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective indicates a potential upside of 12.86% from the company's current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $475.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BTIG Research set a $560.00 target price on Intuitive Surgical and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $630.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Erste Group Bank lowered Intuitive Surgical from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $611.00 to $641.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Intuitive Surgical has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $598.95.

Intuitive Surgical Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ISRG traded down $5.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $509.47. 713,185 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,613,557. The stock has a market cap of $181.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.45, a PEG ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 1.55. Intuitive Surgical has a twelve month low of $367.39 and a twelve month high of $616.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $511.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $533.05.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gary Loeb sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $513.18, for a total transaction of $872,406.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,152,089.10. This represents a 43.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jamie Samath sold 94 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.11, for a total transaction of $53,684.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 2,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,502,019.30. The trade was a 3.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 35,454 shares of company stock worth $18,564,027 over the last quarter. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intuitive Surgical

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 4.5% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,125 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,044,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Intuitive Surgical by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 602,393 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $295,938,000 after purchasing an additional 9,194 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Intuitive Surgical during the third quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the 3rd quarter valued at about $260,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 15,322.2% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 555,661 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $272,980,000 after purchasing an additional 552,058 shares during the period. 83.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.