Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) Shares Up 2.9% – Still a Buy?

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)’s stock price traded up 2.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $578.30 and last traded at $576.20. 3,056,160 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 44% from the average session volume of 2,128,835 shares. The stock had previously closed at $560.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ISRG. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $600.00 to $630.00 in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho set a $575.00 price objective on Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $655.00 target price on Intuitive Surgical in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $529.00 to $589.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $608.92.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Up 2.9%

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $471.89 and its 200-day moving average is $501.11. The stock has a market cap of $206.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.22, a PEG ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 1.62.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The medical equipment provider reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.41. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 28.58%.The business had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Intuitive Surgical, Inc. will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Fredrik Widman sold 2,067 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total transaction of $1,136,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $260,150. This represents a 81.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO David J. Rosa sold 24,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.55, for a total transaction of $13,414,975.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 234,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $128,266,872.80. The trade was a 9.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 98,078 shares of company stock worth $51,445,892 in the last three months. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intuitive Surgical

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. North Star Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 3.8% during the third quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $10,386,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the period. Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Intuitive Surgical in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Intuitive Surgical by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 354 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. grew its stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 79.8% during the 3rd quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. now owns 101,180 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $45,251,000 after acquiring an additional 44,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patten Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Intuitive Surgical in the third quarter valued at approximately $635,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.64% of the company’s stock.

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.