Intuitive Surgical stock fell 5.8% by late morning Eastern Time on Wednesday, following the company's pre-announcement of quarterly sales that exceeded analyst expectations. The robotic surgery company, trading under NASDAQ: ISRG, indicated sales for the fourth quarter would be approximately $2.9 billion, surpassing the $2.7 billion forecast by analysts.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, surgical procedures using Intuitive's da Vinci and Ion bronchoscopy robots increased by 18%. The Ion system showed stronger growth, rising 44% compared to the previous year. However, for the entire year of 2025, procedure growth was 19%, making the quarterly figure a slowdown. Management has projected worldwide procedure growth for 2026 to slow further, to a range of 13% to 15%.
Revenue growth was 19% for the fourth quarter and 21% for the full year 2025. Placements of da Vinci robots at hospitals grew 8% in the quarter and 13% for the year. While this highlights the slowdown in growth rates, procedure growth continues to outpace robot placements, indicating rapid adoption of the technology in surgeries.
CEO Dave Rosa described the company's results as "strong" for both the quarter and the year. Official earnings results are scheduled for release on January 22. Analysts anticipate Intuitive will report a pro forma per-share profit of $2.25, with GAAP earnings at $1.95 per share. This would result in a GAAP profit of $7.48 for the year, giving the company a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.
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