Intuitive Surgical first-quarter net profit beats expectations
(Reuters) - Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG.O) on Tuesday reported a first-quarter net profit that topped Wall Street expectations, helped by expanded use of its da Vinci surgical robots in U.S. general surgery procedures.
Excluding one-time items, Intuitive said it earned $4.42 a share. Analysts on average expected $4.33 a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net profit for the quarter rose to $136 million, or $3.54 a share, from $97 million, or $2.57 a share, a year ago.
The company's net quarterly profit had been projected at $3.43 a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue rose 12 percent to $595 million.
The company said it shipped 110 da Vinci systems in the first quarter, up from 99 units in the year-ago period.
Procedures using da Vinci robots rose 17 percent worldwide from a year ago, driven by growth in U.S. general surgery and worldwide urological surgeries.
(Reporting by Susan Kelly in Chicago; editing by Leslie Adler, G Crosse)
