Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL), Medtronic (MDT) and others are trying to challenge the dominance of Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) in the robot-assisted surgery space, but so far have failed to disrupt the market leader.
The maker of the da Vinci surgery system saw its IBD SmartSelect Composite Rating jump to 96 Tuesday, up from 94 the day before.
The revised score means Intuitive Surgical now tops 96% of all other stocks in terms of key performance metrics and technical strength. The best stocks tend to have a 95 or better grade as they begin to launch a significant move.
Intuitive Surgical has climbed about 37% above a 688.74 buy point in a cup with handle that it cleared in February. On Tuesday, it moved past a 937.25 follow-on buy point in a three-weeks tight pattern. Intuitive pulled back from its a session high to close in positive territory at 939.23.
One weak spot is the company's 75 EPS Rating, which tracks quarterly and annual earnings-per-share growth. Look for that to improve to 80 or better to show it's in the top 20% of all stocks.
Its Accumulation/Distribution Rating of B shows moderate buying by institutional investors over the last 13 weeks.
The company reported a 15% earnings-per-share gain for Q1, up from 3% in the prior report. Revenue growth increased 13%, up from 12% in Q4.
Intuitive Surgical holds the No. 4 rank among its peers in the Medical-Systems/Equipment industry group. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) is the No. 1-ranked stock within the group.
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