It would be easy to say that I love Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) just because its sales surged by 56% this past year. But I like to think I am deeper than that -- that I am committed to a more meaningful long-term relationship with this wonderful stock.
So as Valentine's Day approaches, let me count just a few of the reasons why I love Intuitive Surgical. To begin, it never asks its customers to roll up their sleeves. It does all the heavy lifting. And in so doing, it actually makes people better. In fact, its robotic surgical equipment is so good that it is said to turn average surgeons into great surgeons and great ones into superstars.
Some people might think the company is a real pain in the you-know-what because its da Vinci system deals primarily with prostatectomies. But really, it's not like that at all. Intuitive Surgical knows how to leave a guy alone. In fact, most people who have the surgery performed with the system experience significantly less bleeding, and because it is so nano-invasive, they are home much sooner than regular surgery would allow.
I must also say that the possibility of the company's robots performing some cardiac surgeries really gets my heart pumping. As an added benefit, the company is also willing to do many of the little things around the hospital, like general and urologic surgeries. Why, it's even willing to take care of the kids on occasion, with some pediatric surgeries.
But the final and most important reason I love this company is because I know my love will only grow stronger with time. To date, its systems have penetrated just 10% of the U.S. market. There will be a lot more to love in the future, especially as the company's robots begin performing a wider variety of surgeries in a larger number of hospitals.
Interested in reading more about Intuitive Surgical? Check out these articles:
- The Intuitive Future of Medicine
- Intuitive Surgical and Internet2
- Are Intuitive Surgical and iRobot Just Babies?
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Intuitive Surgical and iRobot are Motley Fool Rule Breakers recommendations. To find out why, you can take a 30-day free trial of the growth-stock newsletter.
Fool contributor Jack Uldrich owns stock in Intuitive Surgical. The Fool's disclosure policy knows how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
