Gradient Investments LLC Raises Holdings in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. $ISRG

Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) by 5.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 50,280 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,640 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Intuitive Surgical were worth $20,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,522,191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $862,108,000 after buying an additional 132,966 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,315,000. Sycomore Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,730,000. Hikari Power Ltd bought a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the second quarter worth $5,619,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the second quarter worth $14,316,000. 83.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Intuitive Surgical News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intuitive Surgical this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and later upgraded ISRG to Strong Buy. The firm’s bullish stance provides a positive catalyst and suggests confidence in Intuitive Surgical’s market position despite a softer medical-device environment. Barclays initiates coverage of Intuitive Surgical at Overweight Intuitive Surgical upgraded at Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts remain optimistic. Coverage highlights expectations for year-over-year revenue and earnings growth, while Citi has also issued a Buy rating. Such recommendations may encourage buying interest in the shares. Wall Street analysts look optimistic on Intuitive Surgical Intuitive Surgical gets a Buy from Citi
• Positive Sentiment: The da Vinci Single-Port platform is gaining momentum. Rising procedure volumes, utilization, placements, expanding indications and international adoption could create another significant recurring-revenue growth engine for Intuitive Surgical. Can ISRG’s Single-Port Platform Become the Next Billion-Dollar Franchise?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on the upcoming October 20 earnings report. Results and management’s outlook will be important in determining whether the recent analyst optimism and expected growth are justified. Barclays’ bullish initiation amid rising rivalry
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and valuation remain risks. Commentary points to growing rivalry, particularly from Johnson & Johnson, while ISRG’s premium valuation could limit upside or increase sensitivity to an earnings miss. Intuitive Surgical and JNJ give Jim Cramer more than valuation to consider

Intuitive Surgical Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Intuitive Surgical stock traded up $0.28 on Thursday, reaching $414.80. The stock had a trading volume of 866,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,414,874. The business’s 50 day moving average is $383.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $411.61. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a 1 year low of $328.57 and a 1 year high of $603.88. The company has a market cap of $146.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.46.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.32. Intuitive Surgical had a net margin of 28.45% and a return on equity of 16.91%. The business had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. Intuitive Surgical’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Intuitive Surgical, Inc. will post 8.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Intuitive Surgical

In other news, Director Amy Ladd sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.00, for a total transaction of $151,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,129. This trade represents a 61.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Gary Loeb sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.00, for a total value of $151,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,320 shares in the company, valued at $2,016,280. The trade was a 6.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,370 shares of company stock worth $4,891,989. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $550.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Intuitive Surgical to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. HSBC lowered Intuitive Surgical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $391.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $525.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Intuitive Surgical to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $502.53.

Intuitive Surgical Profile

Intuitive Surgical, Inc develops and commercializes robotic-assisted systems and related technologies designed to support minimally invasive medical procedures. The company’s products are intended to help surgeons perform operations through small incisions while providing enhanced visualization, precision, and control.

Its principal product is the da Vinci Surgical System, a platform used across a range of specialties, including general surgery, urology, gynecology, thoracic surgery, and cardiac procedures.