If You'd Invested $10,000 in Intuitive Surgical Stock 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

Many of us occasionally look at an impressive stock that we don't own and wonder, "How much would I have today if I'd invested in it some years ago?" One company that those in the know might wonder about is Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) -- a giant in the robotic surgery arena.

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Check out its mighty trailing average annual returns:

Source: Morningstar.com. Percentages as of Jan. 30, 2025.

Wow, right? Imagine you bought $10,000 of shares in Intuitive Surgical a decade ago. What would they be worth now? Well, the answer is $105,634 or so. Your position would have increased in value more than tenfold.

The overall stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 index of 500 of America's biggest companies, is another solid investment, and over the same period, it averaged far smaller, but still solid, annual gains of 12.71% -- considerably more than its 10% long-term average annualized gain. Over that decade, a $10,000 investment in the index (with dividends reinvested) would have grown into about $36,480.

Should you invest in Intuitive Surgical now?

Given all that, should you invest in Intuitive Surgical today? I'd say yes -- but its shares are not cheap at recent levels, so consider waiting and hoping for a pullback. Alternatively, you could build a position in the stock incrementally over time.

The company is growing at a solid clip. In January, it posted fourth-quarter results that showed revenue to be up 25% year over year and adjusted earnings per share to be up 38%. Intuitive installed 493 of its da Vinci surgical systems during the quarter. Year over year, it has boosted its installed base of machines worldwide by 15% to nearly 10,000 machines.

It's not too late to become an Intuitive Surgical shareholder. Just be sure to research the company, and to buy in at a good or great price.

Should you invest $1,000 in Intuitive Surgical right now?

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Selena Maranjian has positions in Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.