Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) Short Interest Update

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,940,000 shares, an increase of 5.3% from the August 15th total of 3,740,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,490,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Intuitive Surgical Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ISRG opened at $491.39 on Tuesday. Intuitive Surgical has a 12 month low of $254.85 and a 12 month high of $496.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $174.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 1.39. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $464.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $422.79.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.24. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 13.04% and a net margin of 27.65%. The company had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. Intuitive Surgical’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Intuitive Surgical will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ISRG. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Intuitive Surgical from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $510.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $425.00 to $410.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $487.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $469.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Intuitive Surgical from $375.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Intuitive Surgical presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $446.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Craig H. Barratt sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $458.13, for a total value of $641,382.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Intuitive Surgical news, Director Craig H. Barratt sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $458.13, for a total value of $641,382.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Amal M. Johnson sold 2,943 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $443.30, for a total transaction of $1,304,631.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,275 shares in the company, valued at $5,441,507.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,120 shares of company stock valued at $25,528,753. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intuitive Surgical

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. One Wealth Management Investment & Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 3.4% in the second quarter. One Wealth Management Investment & Advisory Services LLC now owns 697 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO lifted its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 500 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC grew its holdings in Intuitive Surgical by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 534 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network increased its position in Intuitive Surgical by 2.7% during the second quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 996 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Intuitive Surgical by 2.3% in the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 1,159 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 83.64% of the stock is 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.