Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 2,018 Shares of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its position in Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,711 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,018 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Intuitive Surgical were worth $12,140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Creekmur Asset Management LLC raised its position in Intuitive Surgical by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Intuitive Surgical during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its stake in Intuitive Surgical by 140.0% in the third quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 60 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Intuitive Surgical in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Intuitive Surgical by 415.4% during the 2nd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 67 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 83.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Intuitive Surgical Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ISRG opened at $527.61 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $499.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $457.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.92 billion, a PE ratio of 84.82, a P/E/G ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.39. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a 52-week low of $295.02 and a 52-week high of $544.38.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Intuitive Surgical had a return on equity of 13.41% and a net margin of 28.51%. Equities analysts forecast that Intuitive Surgical, Inc. will post 5.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ISRG shares. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Intuitive Surgical in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $495.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Leerink Partners raised their target price on Intuitive Surgical from $489.00 to $502.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Intuitive Surgical from $503.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Intuitive Surgical from $466.00 to $549.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $513.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intuitive Surgical

In related news, CEO Gary S. Guthart sold 18,151 shares of Intuitive Surgical stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.63, for a total transaction of $9,286,596.13. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,391,166.97. This trade represents a 42.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Henry L. Charlton sold 40,243 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.84, for a total value of $19,591,902.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,461,006.84. The trade was a 93.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 91,178 shares of company stock valued at $45,897,071 over the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Intuitive Surgical Profile

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.