Earnings Preview: Intuitive Surgical's EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise
Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) releases its next round of earnings this Tuesday, October 18, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Tuesday's third quarter earnings announcement.
Earnings and Revenue:
Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of $2.76/share and revenues of $417.8 million. Intuitive Surgical's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of $2.14/share on revenues of $344.4 million. We'll have to wait for Tuesday to see if Intuitive Surgical falls in line with analyst expectations and reports an estimated increase in both EPS and revenue from the year-ago quarter.
Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:
| Quarter | Q2 | Q1 | Q4 | Q3 |
| EPS Estimate | $2.71 | $2.49 | $2.26 | $2.09 |
| EPS Actual | $2.91 | $2.59 | $3.02 | $2.14 |
Stock Performance:
Shares of Intuitive Surgical were trading at $382.16 as of October 12, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of Intuitive Surgical have given investors a return of 48.3%.
Average Stock Rating:
The average rating by analysts for Intuitive Surgical is a Hold. The strength of this rating has crept upwards over the past three months.
Competitors:
Looking for a sympathy stock to trade or interested in the performance of other companies in the same sector? Take a look at some of Intuitive Surgical's peers.
- CONMED (NASDAQ: CNMD): Hold with a $0.35 recent quarter EPS
- Cooper Companies (NYSE: COO): Moderate Buy with a $1.15 recent quarter EPS
- CryoLife (NYSE: CRY): Hold with a $0.12 recent quarter EPS
The medical instruments company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 1.6% during the current fiscal year.
Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Intuitive Surgical designs and manufactures da Vinci Surgical Systems, EndoWrist instruments and other surgical accessories.
Take Action:
Now that you've gotten an advanced peak at Intuitive Surgical's upcoming earnings numbers, keep an eye out for any surprises in the report and be ready to take action. Also, check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.
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