8. Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 100
Supplied Share-Price Snapshot: $445.03, down 1.11%
Robotic Surgery Expands While Litigation Weighs on Earnings
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) continues to build its business around the growing use of robotic-assisted surgery. Its da Vinci surgical platform and Ion robotic-assisted bronchoscopy system connect equipment demand with the number of procedures performed. That gives investors two related measures to follow: the expansion of the installed base and the activity generated by systems already in clinical use. The supplied data showed a 4.81% November gain through November 6, 2026.
Third-quarter 2026 revenue rose 22% year over year to $3.05 billion, while worldwide procedures across the two platforms increased approximately 15%. The company placed 546 da Vinci systems, compared with 427 a year earlier, and expanded its da Vinci installed base to 12,094 systems, up 12%. These results point to continued hospital adoption and rising use, both important indicators for a business that sells equipment alongside instruments and related services.
Reported profitability told a different story. GAAP net income declined to $523 million from $704 million, with results including a $450 million pretax charge associated with the proposed settlement of previously disclosed antitrust class-action litigation. The settlement remains subject to court approval. That charge helps explain the gap between strong revenue growth and lower reported earnings, although it remains an economic cost that investors should consider. For those comparing robotic surgery stocks, procedure growth supports the commercial outlook, while litigation exposure and hospitals’ equipment budgets remain relevant to valuation.
Ranking Rationale
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) places eighth with 100 hedge fund holders. Growing procedures and system placements underpin its long-term investment case, while the litigation charge highlights the importance of examining earnings quality alongside headline revenue growth.
