Intuitive Surgical beats quarterly expectations on surgical robot demand

April 21 (Reuters) – Intuitive Surgical on Tuesday beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit and revenue, as the firm rode the wave of robust demand for its minimally invasive surgical robots used in complex medical procedures.

Intuitive remains a dominant player in the surgical robotics space, with consistent uptake for its cutting-edge da Vinci robots, driven by hospitals addressing backlog of medical procedures and broadening access to minimally invasive care.

The da Vinci surgical robot competes with Medtronic’s Hugo, which won FDA clearance late last year. The approval marked the first significant new competitor for Intuitive Surgical in robotic‑assisted surgery.

Intuitive’s surgical robots are utilized for an array of procedures including weight-loss, kidney and gastric bypass surgeries.

The volume of da Vinci procedures globally rose about 16% in the first quarter from a year ago, the company said.

Intuitive now expects worldwide da Vinci-assisted procedures to increase about 13.5% to 15.5% in 2026, slightly higher than the previously disclosed range of 13% to 15%.

Intuitive now projects its adjusted gross profit margin to be between 67.5% and 68.5% of revenue in 2026, higher than the 67% and 68% it previously projected. The company said the range includes an estimated 1% impact to revenue due to tariffs.

On an adjusted basis, the medical device maker reported earnings of $2.5 per share for the quarter ended March 31, beating analysts’ estimates of $2.1 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Revenue for the quarter came in at $2.77 billion, compared to analysts’ estimates of $2.62 billion.

(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)