What Is One of the Best Healthcare Stocks to Buy Right Now? (Hint: It's a Robotics Company)
Key Points
Intuitive Surgical's machines have been used to perform many millions of surgeries.
It's been growing its revenue by double digits.
The stock isn't exactly cheap, but it's fallen significantly lately.
I'm invested in several healthcare stocks, and the one that I'm most excited about is Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG). The stock is down 15.5% year to date as I write this, making it more attractively priced than it was last year.
It's a major specialist in robotic surgery equipment, boasting more than 16 million procedures performed on its equipment and more than 9,900 machines installed in hospitals around the world (in 72 countries, actually). The stock has averaged annual gains of nearly 24% over the past decade, too.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »
In its second quarter, Intuitive's procedure volume grew 17% year over year, while revenue rose 21%. Better still, much of its revenue is recurring, thanks to service contracts and sales of supplies and accessories. (Indeed, Intuitive Surgical derives 84% of its revenue not from the systems themselves, but from servicing, supplies, and accessories for the machines.) It's fair to expect continued growth in the years ahead.
So why is the stock down? Well, several reasons. For one thing, the Trump administration's tariffs and threats of tariffs are creating a lot of uncertainty and could negatively impact Intuitive's business. And while it's long been the top dog in robotic surgery, medical technology titan Medtronic has debuted a promising system for robotic urologic surgeries.
Is investing in Intuitive Surgical a good idea now? It seems like a good idea to me, as long as you expect to hold the stock for many years. Its recent forward-looking price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 48 is indeed below its five-year average of 56, but both of those numbers are on the steep side. Thus, there's a non-zero chance that the stock will pull back for a while -- though over many years, I do expect it to keep growing. That's why I plan to hold on to my shares for another decade, at least.
Should you invest $1,000 in Intuitive Surgical right now?
Before you buy stock in Intuitive Surgical, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Intuitive Surgical wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $663,905!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,180,428!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,091% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 192% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2025
Selena Maranjian has positions in Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool recommends Medtronic and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $75 calls on Medtronic and short January 2026 $85 calls on Medtronic. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Related Articles
Investing in Critical Minerals & Rare Earths
TradingKey - Oil drove the 20th century, but key minerals will drive the 21st. From the lithium in electric vehicle batteries to the rare earths in military equipment and solar panels, these elements are key enablers of the technologies driving the world economy.
Investing in Industrial AI & Smart Manufacturing
TradingKey - Manufacturing has always been the heartbeat of the world's economies, from the steam engine to mass production. We are experiencing a new revolution these days: the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into production processes. It is intelligent manufacturing, and it pairs robot
Investing in Construction & Engineering Stocks
TradingKey - Building and construction, as well as engineering companies, rarely receive the same headlines as technology companies, but they form the backbone of most economies nowadays. From bridges and highways to airports, power stations, and skyscrapers
U.S. Government Shutdown Commentary: Is a Stock Market Crash Imminent? Will Gold Prices Continue to Surge?
TradingKey - On 1 October 2025, the U.S. federal government officially entered a shutdown, impacting various asset classes. This article analyses two key markets most affected—U.S. equities and gold—to help investors identify potential opportunities.
How Trump's Tariffs Impact the Crypto Market and How Investors Should Respond
Trump’s tariffs refer to a series of trade policies rooted in an "America First" approach, primarily aimed at reducing trade deficits and boosting domestic industries by imposing high tariffs on imported goods—especially those from China..jpg)
