Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) is ending the week in focus after a strong Friday close, fresh regulatory momentum for its single-port platform, and a new wave of Wall Street price-target updates heading into 2026. As of Dec. 20, 2025 (Saturday)—with U.S. markets closed—investors are digesting what’s next for the surgical robotics leader following a volatile December trading range and a busy stretch of headlines.
Below is a detailed, publication-ready roundup of the current news, forecasts, and analyst commentary relevant as of 20.12.2025, plus what investors may be watching into early 2026.
ISRG stock price today: where Intuitive Surgical shares stand on Dec. 20, 2025
Intuitive Surgical stock closed at $572.47 on Friday, Dec. 19, up 1.88%, outperforming the broader market on the day (S&P 500 +0.88%, Nasdaq +1.31%). [1]
December has been choppy for ISRG, but the last several sessions show a rebound from mid-month softness. Over the most recent month, ISRG has gained about 1.75%, according to Zacks’ recap of the latest trading session. [2]
Recent closes (Dec. 10–19, 2025) illustrate the swings investors navigated this month, including a dip toward the low-$540s and a recovery back above $570 by week’s end. [3]
What’s driving Intuitive Surgical stock right now: the December catalysts
ISRG’s recent narrative is being shaped by three themes:
- Regulatory expansion for the da Vinci SP single-port system (a potentially meaningful TAM unlock in general surgery)
- Analyst target resets going into 2026 (including multiple moves to the $650 area)
- Ongoing institutional positioning (routine but notable given ISRG’s large ownership base)
Here’s what matters most, with the key developments in chronological order.
December 2025 headline timeline for Intuitive Surgical
Dec. 10, 2025: FDA clears da Vinci SP for three additional procedure types
Intuitive announced that the U.S. FDA cleared the da Vinci Single Port (SP) system for use in inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), and appendectomy—adding to its existing U.S. clearances in urology, colorectal, thoracic, and transoral procedures. [4]
Why investors care: these are commonly performed procedures, and expanding labeled indications can strengthen the utilization story—especially when hospitals are deciding whether a dedicated single-port system earns a place alongside multi-port fleets.
MedTech Dive framed the update as three new indications that can help Intuitive broaden adoption of SP, describing SP as designed for access in narrow/deep anatomical spaces through a single incision (or natural orifice) using multiple instruments and an endoscope through one entry point. [5]
Dec. 11, 2025: More color on SP adoption and competitive landscape
In the same coverage, MedTech Dive noted that single-port remains a smaller portion of Intuitive’s overall installed base, but emphasized rapid growth dynamics—citing company commentary and market context around SP procedure growth and adoption. [6]
(Practical takeaway: SP expansion doesn’t need to “replace” multi-port to matter financially—higher utilization and incremental system placements can still move instruments, accessories, and service revenue over time.)
Dec. 12, 2025: Wells Fargo target raised; FactSet consensus context
An MT Newswires item reported Wells Fargo adjusted its ISRG price target to $654 from $600 and maintained an Overweight rating. The same note also stated that, per FactSet-polled analysts, ISRG had an average rating of overweight with a mean price target of $605.44 at that time. [7]
Mid-December: RBC and Truist raise targets to $650 (2026 medtech framing)
Two separate The Fly notes (via TipRanks) highlighted price-target increases to $650:
- RBC Capital raised its ISRG price target to $650 from $625 and maintained Outperform, citing positive feedback on da Vinci 5 improvements (precision, imaging, ergonomics, integration). [8]
- Truist raised its price target to $650 from $620 and maintained Buy, framing the move as part of a broader 2026 MedTech outlook note. [9]
Dec. 18, 2025: Digital + AI leadership change disclosed
Investing.com reported that Brian E. Miller, Ph.D. will transition from Chief Digital Officer to Head of Digital and AI Strategy effective Jan. 1, 2026, and that he will no longer report directly to the CEO in the new role, citing a press release and SEC filing. [10]
This is not an “earnings-moving” catalyst by itself, but it signals how Intuitive continues to formalize the digital layer around robotic surgery—an area investors increasingly associate with workflow, data, training, procedure efficiency, and long-term competitive moats.
Dec. 20, 2025: Institutional ownership headlines hit the tape
A MarketBeat item dated Dec. 20, 2025 highlighted one fund’s position increase and reiterated the broader ownership backdrop—reporting institutional investors own roughly 83.64% of ISRG and summarizing the outlet’s tracked analyst consensus and recent price-target changes. [11]
The core fundamentals: what Intuitive reported most recently
The most recent quarterly financial anchor for ISRG remains Q3 2025 (ended Sept. 30, 2025).
In its Q3 earnings release, Intuitive reported:
- Worldwide procedures (da Vinci and Ion combined) up ~20% YoY
- da Vinci procedures up ~19%
- Ion procedures up ~52% [12]
- 427 da Vinci systems placed (vs. 379 in Q3 2024), including 240 da Vinci 5 systems (vs. 110 in Q3 2024) [13]
- da Vinci installed base: 10,763 systems as of Sept. 30, 2025 (+13% YoY) [14]
- Ion installed base: 954 systems as of Sept. 30, 2025 (+30% YoY) [15]
- Revenue: $2.51B (+23% YoY) [16]
- Non-GAAP EPS: $2.40 (Q3 2025) [17]
- Share repurchases: 4.0M shares for $1.92B in Q3 [18]
Management outlook snapshot (as of Q3 release)
Intuitive also reiterated/updated key 2025 expectations, including:
- Worldwide da Vinci procedure growth of ~17% to 17.5% in 2025 [19]
- Non-GAAP gross profit margin guidance of 67% to 67.5%, including an estimated tariff impact of ~0.7% of revenue (±10 bps) [20]
That last point matters because tariffs and supply-chain costs remain one of the market’s recurring “what could go wrong” topics for ISRG—especially when the stock trades at a premium multiple.
Analyst forecasts for ISRG stock: price targets, ratings, and what Wall Street expects next
Consensus price targets: why numbers differ by source
Depending on which dataset and refresh timing you use, the “consensus” can vary:
- FactSet mean price target: $605.44 (MT Newswires / FactSet-polled analysts) [21]
- MarketBeat’s tracked average price target: $611.08, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus in its aggregation [22]
These are not contradictory so much as they reflect different panel compositions, update times, and methodology.
The most notable recent target moves (December)
- Wells Fargo: target $654 (from $600), Overweight [23]
- RBC Capital: target $650 (from $625), Outperform [24]
- Truist: target $650 (from $620), Buy [25]
The common thread across the more bullish notes is a bet that Intuitive’s platform cadence (da Vinci 5 upgrades, SP expansion, and the ecosystem around instruments/services) can sustain procedure growth and utilization while preserving premium economics.
Near-term earnings expectations
Zacks’ recap of the latest trading session stated that analysts were looking for:
- Next-quarter EPS around $2.25
- Quarterly revenue around $2.72B [26]
Those same figures also appear on TipRanks’ earnings page, which lists Jan. 22, 2026 (after close) as the report date and $2.25 as the consensus EPS forecast for 2025 Q4. [27]
Investing.com’s earnings page similarly lists Jan. 22, 2026 for the next report date. [28]
Valuation check: why ISRG bulls and bears keep talking past each other
The debate around Intuitive Surgical stock is not whether the company is a leader—it’s whether the market is already pricing in “near-perfect” execution.
Zacks noted ISRG was trading at a forward P/E around 65 (and at a premium to its industry average in that comparison). [29]
At the same time, the company’s operating story remains strong: high procedure growth, rising installed base, and a large recurring revenue component via instruments, accessories, and service—dynamics that can justify premium valuation when confidence is high. [30]
The question for 2026 becomes: does growth accelerate enough to defend that premium, or does the multiple compress even if fundamentals remain solid?
Strategic outlook: why the da Vinci SP label expansion matters for 2026
The da Vinci SP update is one of the more concrete near-term catalysts because it expands what surgeons can do under a cleared indication set—and may help Intuitive push further into high-volume general surgery workflows.
In Intuitive’s own announcement, the company emphasized SP’s ability to operate through a single incision or natural orifice, with control of up to three multi-jointed instruments plus an articulating 3DHD endoscope through one entry point. [31]
MedTech Dive added context about SP’s positioning versus multi-port systems and how Intuitive has been working to broaden SP adoption since its U.S. launch. [32]
From an investor lens, SP’s incremental potential isn’t just system sales:
- More procedures can translate into higher instrument and accessory pull-through
- More utilization can strengthen service revenue visibility
- A broader indication set can improve the strategic case for hospitals to add SP alongside multi-port robots
Risks to watch: what could derail the ISRG stock narrative
Even with positive momentum, several risks remain front-and-center in current analyses:
Tariffs and margin sensitivity
Intuitive’s gross margin guidance explicitly includes tariff impacts, and the company has previously pointed to tariff-related headwinds in its outlook framing. [33]
Capital spending cycles in hospitals
Robotic systems are big-ticket purchases, and investor concern can rise when markets fear tightening hospital budgets—even if procedure volumes stay healthy.
Competition and technology cadence
Robotic surgery is a competitive and fast-evolving space. ISRG’s advantage is its installed base and ecosystem, but the market watches closely for any sign that competitors are narrowing performance or economic gaps.
(As Investing.com’s SWOT-style analysis put it, competitive pressure and tariffs remain among the listed threats, even while procedure growth is a clear strength.) [34]
What to watch next for Intuitive Surgical stock (ISRG) heading into early 2026
If you’re tracking ISRG into the new year, these are the practical checkpoints likely to matter most:
- Earnings (Jan. 22, 2026) — and whether results align with the ~$2.25 EPS / ~$2.72B revenue expectation set in current estimate summaries [35]
- da Vinci 5 adoption pace — placements, utilization trends, and whether the upgrade cycle supports sustained procedure growth [36]
- SP utilization following the expanded label — signs that the new indications are driving measurable uptake [37]
- Margin durability — particularly how tariffs, mix, and operating leverage flow through gross margin and operating expense growth [38]
- Digital and AI execution — especially with leadership changes taking effect Jan. 1, 2026 [39]
Bottom line on ISRG stock as of Dec. 20, 2025
Intuitive Surgical is closing out 2025 with a familiar setup: strong fundamentals, multiple growth levers (da Vinci 5, SP expansion, Ion), and bullish analyst targets, balanced by a premium valuation and ongoing macro/cost uncertainties.
The newest “hard catalyst” in the story is the FDA clearance expanding da Vinci SP into additional procedures—exactly the kind of label expansion that can reinforce utilization-driven economics over time. [40]
Meanwhile, Wall Street’s December price-target actions (with several moves clustering around $650) suggest many analysts see continued momentum into 2026—though consensus targets across datasets still sit closer to the low-$600s on average. [41]
References
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