Erste Group Bank Upgrades Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) to “Buy”

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) was upgraded by analysts at Erste Group Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on ISRG. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $605.00 to $590.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays decreased their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $684.00 to $635.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $650.00 price target (up from $590.00) on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $630.00 to $605.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $596.05.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Performance

NASDAQ ISRG opened at $557.95 on Thursday. Intuitive Surgical has a fifty-two week low of $405.08 and a fifty-two week high of $616.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $519.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $538.95. The stock has a market cap of $199.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 1.67.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.10. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 14.55% and a net margin of 27.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Intuitive Surgical will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intuitive Surgical

In related news, EVP Brian Edward Miller sold 8,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $485.07, for a total value of $4,317,123.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,793,033.06. The trade was a 60.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gary Loeb sold 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $513.18, for a total value of $872,406.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,152,089.10. The trade was a 43.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,716 shares of company stock worth $12,831,288 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Intuitive Surgical

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Intuitive Surgical by 614.3% during the first quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 50 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Global Financial Private Client LLC lifted its holdings in Intuitive Surgical by 253.3% during the first quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 53 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Intuitive Surgical during the first quarter worth $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.64% of the company’s stock.

Intuitive Surgical Company Profile

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.