In terms of surgical robot demand, Intuitive Surgical outperforms quarterly projections

Intuitive Surgical Beats Q4 Estimates on Strong Demand for Robotic Procedures

Intuitive Surgical on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit and revenue, driven by rising demand for its robotic systems used in minimally invasive surgeries. Shares of the Sunnyvale, California-based medical device maker climbed 3.3% in after-hours trading following the results.

The company has seen steady growth as hospitals continue to clear a backlog of deferred procedures and expand access to minimally invasive care. Intuitive’s da Vinci surgical robots are widely used across procedures such as weight-loss surgeries and treatments for digestive, bladder, and heart conditions.

During the reported quarter, the global volume of da Vinci-assisted procedures increased by about 18% year-on-year, the company said. More than 80% of the instruments and accessories used in the da Vinci system are manufactured at Intuitive’s facility in Mexico, with additional operations in China and other international markets.

Looking ahead, Intuitive expects da Vinci-assisted procedures to grow 13% to 15% globally in 2026, compared with 18% growth in 2025. The company also forecast a gross profit margin of 67% to 68% of revenue for 2026, compared with 67.6% in 2025. This outlook includes an estimated tariff impact of about 1.2% of revenue, plus or minus 10 basis points.

On an adjusted basis, Intuitive earned $2.53 per share for the quarter ended December 31, surpassing analysts’ expectations of $2.26 per share, according to LSEG data. Quarterly revenue rose to $2.87 billion, beating estimates of $2.75 billion.