intuitive surgical stock guide
Intuitive Surgical stock (Intuitive Surgical, Inc. — ISRG)
Intuitive surgical stock represents shares of Intuitive Surgical, Inc., the U.S.-listed medical-technology company best known for its da Vinci robotic surgery platform. The company trades under the ticker ISRG on the NASDAQ, and its performance is influenced by system placements, procedure volumes and recurring consumables and service revenues. This primer explains what the stock is, how the business generates revenue, key financial and operating metrics, recent news and analyst reaction (as of January 24, 2026), common risks, and where to find authoritative, up-to-date information.
Note: This article is informational and not investment advice. For live quotes, filings and the latest research, consult the company Investor Relations pages and market data providers. You can trade US equities via platforms such as Bitget; always verify instrument availability and local regulations before trading.
Company overview
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells robotic-assisted surgical systems designed to enable minimally invasive procedures across multiple medical specialties. The company’s flagship offering is the da Vinci surgical system, widely adopted in urology, gynecology, general surgery and other specialties. In recent years Intuitive also introduced the Ion platform for minimally invasive lung biopsies and continued development of next-generation systems and instruments.
- Founding and headquarters: Founded in the 1990s and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Intuitive pioneered clinical robotic-assisted surgery with the first da Vinci FDA clearance in 2000.
- Core business lines: Revenue is driven by three primary streams — system placements (capital sales of robots), recurring instruments & accessories (consumables used per procedure), and service contracts/maintenance for installed systems.
- Clinical and commercial strategy: The company focuses on expanding procedure adoption, increasing utilization of existing installed bases, and introducing platform improvements and new indications to drive longer-term recurring revenue.
Understanding the business model helps explain how the company’s revenue mix and margin profile differ from many other medical-device firms: capital sales establish the installed base, while recurring revenues from procedures and service generate steadier, higher-margin income over time.
Listing and ticker information
- Exchange and ticker: Intuitive Surgical is listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker ISRG. Trading is in U.S. dollars.
- Primary investor data sources: Official investor communications are published on Intuitive Surgical’s Investor Relations site and in SEC filings. Real-time market data and aggregated company metrics appear on major financial portals and data terminals.
- Market-cap scale: Market capitalization varies with the share price and market conditions. As of January 24, 2026, Intuitive Surgical’s market cap was reported around $185.6 billion (source: financial news outlets). For current market-cap figures consult live market-data providers.
If you trade equities, consider using a regulated platform such as Bitget for market access and advanced data tools; confirm ISRG availability on your account and review trading fees and settlement rules.
Key financial and operating metrics
Intuitive Surgical is a multi-billion-dollar revenue company with a profitability profile that historically includes strong gross margins driven by high-margin consumables and service revenue. Key financial and operational metrics to monitor include:
- Revenue (quarterly and trailing twelve months)
- Gross margin and operating margin
- Adjusted earnings per share (non-GAAP EPS)
- Installed base (number of da Vinci systems in service)
- Procedure volume and procedures-per-system (utilization)
- System placements (new capital unit sales)
- Recurring instruments & accessories revenue and service revenue
Primary data sources for these metrics are the company’s quarterly and annual reports, 10-Q and 10-K SEC filings, investor-relations presentations, and financial portals that aggregate trailing and forward metrics.
Revenue mix and business drivers
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System sales vs. recurring revenue: System placements are capital transactions that create the installed base. Recurring revenue comes from instruments & accessories sold per procedure and from service contracts. Over time, recurring revenue often becomes the larger, more predictable component because each installed system generates consumable and service demand.
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Installed base and utilization: Two elements drive recurring revenue growth — growth in the installed base (more systems deployed) and increased procedure volume per system (higher utilization). Regional adoption rates, training programs, clinician preferences and reimbursement environments affect both.
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Procedure mix and ASPs: Average selling prices (ASPs) for procedures and instruments can change with product upgrades and with shifts in procedure complexity. New indications and instruments (e.g., for thoracic or colorectal surgery) can raise per-procedure revenue.
Historical price performance and trading data
Intuitive surgical stock has experienced material multi-year appreciation since commercialization of its commercial platforms, reflecting durable adoption trends and high recurring revenue. That said, like other large-cap equities, ISRG exhibits volatility driven by earnings releases, product or regulatory news, macroeconomic shifts and sector rotation.
Common reference datapoints reported by finance sites include:
- 52-week high and low: useful for gauging recent trading range.
- Recent price movement: price behavior around earnings or product announcements.
- Average daily volume: liquidity indicator; large caps typically show millions of shares traded daily, but check live data.
- Options activity and implied volatility: ISRG has an active options market; traders often reference open interest and put/call skew.
For up-to-the-minute price history, range and liquidity measures consult market-data providers and trading platforms. Bitget provides market data tools and trade execution features for supported instruments — check the Bitget platform for historical charts and volume statistics.
Ownership and major shareholders
Institutional ownership is typically high for major U.S. technology and healthcare names. Intuitive Surgical’s largest shareholders often include mutual funds, asset managers and, occasionally, sovereign or pension funds. Insider ownership and recent insider transactions (buy/sell by executives and board members) are reported in SEC filings and can be monitored for potential signaling.
- Institutional ownership trends: filings such as 13F reports show which asset managers hold positions and can indicate concentration among large funds.
- Notable holders: large diversified asset managers and healthcare-focused funds frequently appear among top shareholders, according to quarterly disclosure data.
- Insider transactions: insiders are required to report trades; consistent insider buying can be interpreted by some market participants as a positive confidence signal, while sales have multiple potential explanations and do not necessarily indicate a negative outlook.
Always verify holdings and ownership percentages from the company’s proxy statements and from institutional filings available through regulatory databases and data providers.
Recent news and catalysts
As of January 24, 2026, Intuitive Surgical reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Key points from recent coverage:
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Q4 2025 results: As of January 24, 2026, according to Benzinga and Yahoo Finance, Intuitive Surgical reported fourth-quarter revenue of $2.87 billion and adjusted EPS of $2.53, beating analyst estimates. The company issued guidance for full-year 2026 procedure growth of approximately 13%–15% and expected gross profit margin around 67%–68% for fiscal 2026.
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Market reaction and analyst moves: Following the Q4 release, shares recorded modest gains in pre-market or intraday trading in some reports. Several sell-side analysts updated price targets — for example, Bernstein maintained an Outperform rating and raised its target, while Evercore ISI adjusted its price target downward but kept an In-Line rating (sources: Benzinga, BTIG, Bernstein, Evercore; reported Jan 24, 2026).
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Typical stock-moving catalysts: Quarterly earnings and forward guidance, system placement announcements and adoption milestones, regulatory approvals or clearance for new indications, clinical data releases, and reimbursement developments are common catalysts. Supply-chain or manufacturing issues and macroeconomic factors (e.g., interest-rate moves that affect hospital capital spending) can also influence the share price.
Note: For specific headlines, dates and full press text consult the company’s press releases and investor-relations materials. News outlets and financial portals that track real-time headlines also report analyst note changes and immediate market reactions.
Analyst coverage and market sentiment
ISRG is covered by many sell-side analysts; consensus ratings and price targets vary over time. Common observations from analyst coverage include:
- Consensus and ratings: Broker research typically aggregates to a mix of Buy/Outperform, Hold/In-Line and occasional Sell ratings. The balance shifts with quarterly results, guidance and competitive developments.
- Price-target dispersion: Price targets can differ materially between bulls and cautious analysts depending on assumptions about procedure growth, margin sustainability and unit placements.
- Where to find aggregated analyst data: Financial portals such as Yahoo Finance, Seeking Alpha, MarketBeat and market data services provide consensus ratings, median price targets and changes in analyst coverage. These sources also summarize sell-side notes after earnings.
Always check the publish date of analyst notes and the assumptions they use; ratings and targets are snapshots that reflect analysts’ views at a point in time.
Risks and considerations for investors
Investors and traders should consider several risks specific to Intuitive Surgical and the surgical-robotics sector:
- Competitive dynamics: The surgical-robotics space has drawn competition from established medical-device firms and new entrants. Competitive pressure can impact pricing, market share and contract terms.
- Regulatory and clinical risk: Product approvals, post-market surveillance, and clinical evidence are crucial. Adverse clinical outcomes or regulatory findings can materially affect adoption and the stock.
- Reimbursement and hospital capital budgets: Hospital purchasing cycles and reimbursement policies influence the pace of system placements. Economic headwinds or changes to hospital capital allocation can slow new system adoption.
- Margin pressure: Tariffs, input-cost inflation, supply-chain constraints, and increased R&D or SG&A spending could pressure gross or operating margins.
- Execution risk: Introducing new platforms (e.g., Ion, next-gen da Vinci systems) requires successful commercialization and surgeon adoption. Execution missteps can delay expected revenue streams.
- Geographic concentration and market-specific risks: Slower adoption in certain geographies (e.g., China, Japan, parts of Europe) can weigh on global growth assumptions.
This list is not exhaustive; always pair risk assessment with primary filings and independent research.
Investment thesis / considerations
Balanced considerations often cited by investors include:
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Bullish drivers:
- Installed-base growth: More systems create a larger recurring revenue base from consumables and service.
- Recurring revenue mix: High-margin instruments & accessories and service revenues support profitability.
- New product optionality: Platforms such as Ion and next-gen systems can expand the addressable market and increase per-procedure revenue.
- Strong historical procedure growth: Past multi-year adoption supports long-term cash-generation potential.
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Bearish considerations:
- Valuation sensitivity: As a growth and quality company, ISRG can trade at premium multiples; valuation compression can lead to large downside in a market drawdown.
- Execution and competition: Competitor entries or slower-than-expected uptake of new systems could limit growth.
- Macro and capital-spending cycles: Hospital budget constraints and macroeconomic shocks can delay capital purchases.
Reminder: This is a neutral summary of common views. Consult up-to-date SEC filings, company guidance and sell-side research before making investment decisions.
Corporate governance and shareholder matters
- Governance structure: Intuitive Surgical operates with a board of directors and standard corporate governance practices. Proxy statements and the investor-relations site describe board composition, committee charters and executive compensation.
- Investor communications: The company hosts quarterly earnings calls, posts investor presentations and files required SEC reports. These are primary sources for management commentary and forward-looking expectations.
- Dividend policy: Historically, Intuitive Surgical has not paid a regular cash dividend; capital allocation priorities have included reinvestment in growth and occasional share-repurchase programs.
- Share repurchases and splits: The company has in past periods authorized share-repurchase programs; check recent filings and press releases for the latest activity.
For the most recent governance disclosures, consult the company’s proxy statement and the Investor Relations materials.
Trading instruments and derivatives
- Common stock: ISRG is traded as common equity on NASDAQ in USD.
- Options: ISRG has an active options market. Options are used for hedging, income generation (e.g., covered calls), directional trades and volatility strategies.
- Derivative metrics: Traders monitor implied volatility, open interest, and put-call ratios to gauge sentiment and potential price moves.
Where to view option flow, open interest and Greeks: options analytics tools on trading platforms and market-data providers provide these metrics. Bitget offers derivatives and options data where available — verify the product set and regulatory status for equity options on the platform.
Where to find authoritative data
Primary authoritative sources for live quotes and filings include:
- Intuitive Surgical Investor Relations (company press releases, presentations, filings)
- U.S. SEC filings (10-Q, 10-K, 8-K, proxy statements)
- Major financial data providers and news outlets (examples: Yahoo Finance, Google Finance, CNBC, MarketWatch, Seeking Alpha, MarketBeat, Benzinga; consult the latest headlines and timestamps)
- Sell-side research published by brokerages (for analyst consensus and price-target changes)
As of January 24, 2026, media coverage of Q4 results and analyst reactions appeared across outlets including Benzinga, Yahoo Finance and financial wire services — check original press dates when using these sources.
See also
- Surgical robotics industry overview
- Competing firms and new entrants in robotic-assisted surgery
- Medical device regulatory pathways and post-market surveillance
- Equity valuation basics and how to interpret P/E, EV/EBITDA and cash-flow metrics
References and further reading
The following sources are recommended for verification and further research (no direct links are provided here):
- Intuitive Surgical Investor Relations and SEC filings (10-Q, 10-K, 8-K)
- Benzinga and Benzinga Pro reporting on Q4 2025 results (reported Jan 24, 2026)
- Yahoo Finance coverage and analyst note summaries (reported Jan 24, 2026)
- BTIG and other sell-side research notes referenced in market coverage (see news articles dated Jan 24, 2026)
- Market data aggregators for live price, volume and options data (e.g., financial portals and professional terminals)
Notes on sourcing and currency of data
As of January 24, 2026, details such as Q4 2025 revenue ($2.87 billion), adjusted EPS ($2.53), and 2026 procedural growth guidance (13%–15%) were reported by outlets including Benzinga, Barchart and Yahoo Finance based on company releases. Market capitalization and daily trading volumes change every trading day; specific numeric figures in this article reference the reporting date and should be cross-checked with primary sources and live market-data providers before acting.
Market prices, market cap, analyst ratings and short-interest metrics change frequently. Always cite original filings and time-stamped data when making decisions that rely on precise figures.
Final notes and next steps
If you want to follow intuitive surgical stock more closely:
- Track quarterly earnings and read the company’s investor presentation after each quarter.
- Monitor procedure growth, installed-base trends and recurring revenue mix; these drive the durability of earnings.
- Use reputable market-data platforms for real-time quotes, volume and options metrics — and consider trading and research tools available on Bitget for market access and analytics.
Further exploration: review the latest SEC filings and the company’s most recent earnings transcript to hear management’s commentary on adoption trends, geographic performance and margin outlook. For trade execution, check Bitget’s platform for supported instruments, market data features and order types.
Explore more Bitget features to support research and trading, including market data tools and educational resources. Remember: this article presents facts and analysis for informational purposes and is not investment advice.
As of January 24, 2026, information in this article was compiled from Intuitive Surgical investor materials and financial news coverage including Benzinga, Yahoo Finance and sell-side reports. Always verify current data with primary filings and real-time market providers.






















