Intuitive Surgical shares are down roughly 29% in 2026 as da Vinci procedure growth eased from 17% in Q4 2025 to 15% in Q2. The company projects 13.5%–15.5% growth for the full year.
CFO Jamie Samath said increased use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs was one factor in the slowdown; U.S. da Vinci bariatric cases fell by a high-single-digit percentage in Q2. He said expiring ACA plan subsidies modestly hurt U.S. procedure growth, though enrollment concerns had not affected the company’s capital pipeline. CEO David Rosa cited stronger competition in China; Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic also compete in the U.S. and other markets.
In September, 24 of 32 analysts surveyed by S&P Global rated the stock “buy” or “strong buy”; their average 12-month price target implied 18% upside. The Motley Fool author argues the sell-off is overdone, noting da Vinci was used in 3.2 million procedures last year. Intuitive says it has products and clearances for about 9 million annual procedures; around 20 million are considered candidates for robotic minimally invasive surgery. The author disclosed owning Intuitive shares.
