Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: Could I have your opinion on a stock: Intuitive Surgical. Thank you and I enjoy the Inner Circle.

Article Excerpt

A: Intuitive Surgical Inc., $517.36, symbol ISRG on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 116.0 million; Market cap: $59.2 billion; www.intuitive.com), develops, manufactures and markets the da Vinci Surgical System along with related accessories, training, and services. Intuitive Surgical is based in Sunnyvale, California. Da Vinci is a computerized surgical system that translates a surgeon’s hand movements into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside a patient through small incisions. The process is safer and less invasive than regular surgery and reduces recovery time, scarring, and risk of infection. Approximately 1.2 million da Vinci procedures were performed during 2019, an increase of 18% from 2018. Sales of the da Vinci system account for 28% of Intuitive Surgical’s total revenue. The remaining 72% consists of recurring instrument and accessory revenue, service revenue, and operating lease revenue. As its surgical systems are adopted, the company accrues a steady and expanding stream of revenue from added services and instrument sales. Since 2015, the installed base of da Vinci systems has…