Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)

Sold Intuitve (after owning it for many years) at 520. I got scared the whole scare about robot surgery would spread and hit the fan, but it did not evolve as bad as anticipated. Looks now, with the great earnings report and the slight pull back, again attractive to me. The potential of the market as a whole, is enormous. Just hoping Intuitive will keep the lead and get the next generation of machines out. The Davinci sys is good, yes, but there is more to robotic surgery than just what they have.

More prevalent as medicine goes global. Can a doctor in the U.S. do a surgery in China while sitting in his boxers at home? Yes with the Da Vinci machine this could be the future. Surgery via Skype.

Recent bad press/fears seem to be overblown and are knocking the stock price down. This is still a great company in an absolutely dominant position with no real competition on the radar screen for AT LEAST several more years. Fantastic expected growth over the next several years and the value gets better and better as the P/E has dropped. May be up and down, but long term I really like the pick.

Interesting reaction to positive earnings. While I expected a move up, I would not hesitate to consider this a buying opportunity. Strong results like this being questioned so strongly suggests overall market jitters and will, I predict, be short lived.

One of my favorite companies in the MF universe is on sale this morning.

- Huge switching costs. Surgeons that have already installed the da Vinci systems are familiar with the equipment and are more efficient in the procedures.
- Improved recovery time and less complications for the PATIENT.

I feel that robotic surgery is a better mousetrap. The early adoptors have been promoters and the results have (thus far) looked very good. Could it be a matter of time before robotics become the de facto standard for surgeons?

ISRG reported earnings that grew 30% year-over-year and is selling at a P/E ratio (TTM) of 26.6.

I was slow to adopt technology as a surgeon but I finally was trained and although I think the technology is overused there is a place for it and it is not going away.

SS#19

I believe Minimal invasive surgery will only become bigger and bigger. In the future, when the younger doctors grow with this technology it will only become more pervasive.

The future is here.

"Brigham and Women's Hospital has not extensively adopted single incision gynecologic laparoscopy because of its extreme ergonomic challenges," Dr. Gargiulo said. "However, our team has pioneered robot-assisted single incision laparoscopy and has published the first world series of single incision robotic myomectomy."

"Computer-assistance will change the game for single-incision laparoscopy as it has for conventional laparoscopy," Dr. Gargiulo said. "In fact, single-incision robotic surgical platforms are where I see the future of most minimally invasive surgical technology will converge in the long term. Such devices could enter the body through several points of access, both trans-parietal or through natural orifices such as, in the case of gynecology, the vagina."

Obstet Gynecol 2013;121:819-828

On a side note, the FDA just approved single incision surgery for Hysterectomy for the da Vinci system.

Their robots are a waste of money. Eventually hospitals will realize this.

bad press unjustifiably knocking down this stock price; earnings strong; generally positive results; near monopoly

Never thought I'd see it this cheap again.

150 spread and its 30 off the 52wk low
looks like 5:1 up side from this fools point of view

Recent pullback and good long term company

This is a true equity analysts dream. Extensive fundamental and competitive analysis along with very conservative modeling all clearly show that this stock is insanely mispriced (fair value around $600 and realistically modeled, much higher). Thank you market technicians for driving down the price in response to information that the market previously had and consequently allowing me to make easy money.

Facts:

- Wide Economic Moat (possibly one of the best I've ever seen)

- Huge margins

- No debt

- Great FCF generation

- No change in competitive positioning needed in response to recent news

The sell-off due to Dr. James Breeden's statement is an over-reaction. The benefits of the da Vinci machine have been heavily scrutinized and doctors continue to increase its utilization. No, it is not for the the best or only option for every single procedure, but it is clearly an innovative device that benefits patients as well as hospitals and doctors. I think this story, and an unusually great buying opportunity, probably go away within a week or so (pending macro changes). ISRG could easily double in the next 5-8 years.

Finally, an attractive entry-point.

Citron Research

While the robot is much more expensive and takes longer than the "straight stick" alternative, it is much better for the patient and allows them to leave the hospital quicker and in better shape. The Da Vinci is must have and continue to show up in more and more hospitals.