Intuitive Surgical stock pairs 22% growth with legal charge
Published on 11/04/2026 at 13:26 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSGrowth Meets Legal Charge
- Third-quarter revenue rose 22% year over year as worldwide da Vinci and Ion procedures increased 15%.
- A proposed antitrust settlement produced a USD 450 million pre-tax charge and lowered GAAP diluted earnings to USD 1.49 per share.
- Management expects 2026 da Vinci procedure growth near the midpoint of its 14% to 15% range.
Intuitive Surgical reported strong third-quarter growth on October 20, 2026, but a proposed antitrust settlement weighed heavily on GAAP earnings. In its earnings release, the surgical-robotics company said revenue increased 22% year over year to USD 3.05 billion for the quarter ended September 30.
Procedure Growth Drives Revenue
Worldwide procedures across the da Vinci and Ion platforms increased 15% from the year-earlier quarter. Da Vinci procedures rose 14%, while Ion procedures advanced 31%. Instruments and accessories revenue grew 18% to USD 1.80 billion, supported by higher procedure volumes and the expanding installed base.
Intuitive placed 546 da Vinci systems during the quarter, up from 427 a year earlier. The placements included 315 da Vinci 5 systems, compared with 240 in the prior-year period. The da Vinci installed base reached 12,094 systems at September 30, up 12% year over year, while the Ion installed base rose 21% to 1,152 systems.
Settlement Hits Reported Profit
The company recorded a USD 450 million pre-tax charge related to an agreement to settle previously disclosed antitrust class-action litigation. The proposed settlement includes a one-time payment and injunctive relief, but remains subject to preliminary and final court approval. Intuitive said the agreement was reached without an admission of liability or wrongdoing.
The charge reduced third-quarter GAAP net income attributable to Intuitive Surgical to USD 523 million, or USD 1.49 per diluted share, from USD 704 million, or USD 1.95 per share, a year earlier. The expense amounted to USD 347 million after tax, or USD 0.99 per diluted share. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes litigation charges and other specified items, net income rose to USD 1.05 billion from USD 867 million, while diluted earnings increased to USD 3.00 from USD 2.40.
Intuitive also recorded a USD 22 million after-tax benefit from refunds for tariffs paid in prior periods. The company repurchased 7.8 million shares for USD 2.94 billion during the quarter, leaving cash, cash equivalents and investments at USD 6.80 billion at September 30.
Outlook Holds Near Midpoint
Management kept its full-year 2026 outlook for worldwide da Vinci procedure growth at 14% to 15% and expects the result to land closer to the midpoint. It also projects a 68.7% to 69.3% non-GAAP gross margin and 11% to 13% non-GAAP operating-expense growth. The margin outlook includes an estimated tariff impact of 0.9% of revenue, excluding recognized tariff refunds.
Chief Executive Dave Rosa said customers performed more than 10,000 procedures per day on average during the quarter across the company's multi-port, single-port and Ion platforms. For investors, the results underline the recurring contribution from the installed base and instruments business, while the legal charge and the need for continued procedure expansion remain material considerations.
Intuitive Surgical stock traded at EUR 401.98 on Lang & Schwarz at 13:15 CET on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The real-time quote of Intuitive Surgical stock is available for investors tracking the European trading session.
Intuitive Surgical Inc.
- Company: Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
- ISIN: US46120E6023
- WKN: 888024
- Ticker: ISRG
- Primary exchange: Nasdaq
- Lang & Schwarz quote: EUR 401.98 on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 13:15 CET
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