Robo-Surgery Updates: MAKO Surgical Corp.(MAKO)’s New Coverage, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) & More

Editor’s Note: MAKO Surgical Corp.(NASDAQ:MAKO), Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. : Intuitive Surgical Reports New Employee Option Grants for August 2013 (4-Traders)
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (Nasdaq:ISRG) today reported that equity awards approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, which consists entirely of Independent Directors, were made to 99 new employees. Pursuant to NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5635(c)(4), the equity awards were granted under the Intuitive Surgical, Inc. 2009 Commencement Incentive Plan, which the Board of Directors of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. adopted for the granting of equity awards to new employees. In accordance with NASDAQ rules, these grants were made under an equity incentive plan without shareholder approval. NASDAQ rules require a public announcement of equity awards to be made under this type of plan. 99 employees were granted options to purchase an aggregate of 24,572 shares of the Company’s common stock. The options vest over four years and expire in 10 years assuming continued employment. No officers received any award under this plan. The exercise price for the option shares granted is $389.94 which was the closing price of Intuitive Surgical, Inc.’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market as such price was reported by NASDAQ on August 7, 2013. The Company’s policy is to issue stock option grants to new employees on the fifth business day of every calendar month. This announcement complies with the applicable NASDAQ rule requiring disclosure of such an inducement grant.

Intuitive Surgical Enters Oversold Territory (ISRG) (Forbes)
Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. One way we can try to measure the level of fear in a given stock is through a technical analysis indicator called the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which measures momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In trading on Wednesday, shares of Intuitive Surgical Inc (NASD: ISRG) entered into oversold territory, hitting an RSI reading of 29.2, after changing hands as low as $386.20 per share.

Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc (ZLTQ), MAKO Surgical Corp. (MAKO) & Last Week’s Biggest Winners (Insider Monkey)
MAKO Surgical Corp.  also moved higher after well-received financials. Sure, it did post a larger deficit than Wall Street was expecting, but the news on its RIO system was encouraging. MAKO Surgical Corp.’s revenue rose 19%, but its procedure revenue climbed 26% during the period. In other words, orthopedic surgeons are using the robotic surgical system. Piper Jaffray raised its price target on MAKO Surgical Corp.  from $23 to $26 after the report.

MAKO Surgical Corp. Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Needham & Company (MAKO) (Watch List News)
Needham & Company assumed coverage on shares of MAKO Surgical Corp. (NASDAQ:MAKO) in a research note issued on Thursday, AnalystRatingsNetwork reports. The firm set a “hold” rating on the stock. MAKO Surgical Corp. (NASDAQ:MAKO) opened at 14.75 on Thursday. MAKO Surgical Corp. has a 52-week low of $10.00 and a 52-week high of $19.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $12.74. The company’s market cap is $692.3 million.

MAKO Surgical Corp. : Regulatory Approvals, New Collaborations, Awards, and Strong Revenue Growth – Research Report on Stereotaxis, Arena, USANA, NuVasive, and MAKO (4-Traders)
Today, Investors’ Reports announced new research reports highlighting Stereotaxis Inc. (NASDAQ: STXS), Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA), USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE: USNA), NuVasive, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUVA), and MAKO Surgical Corp. (NASDAQ: MAKO). Today’s readers may access these reports free of charge – including full price targets, industry analysis and analyst ratings – via the links below.On July 29, 2013, Stereotaxis Inc. (Stereotaxis) announced that it has been granted 510(k) clearance by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Vdrive Robotic Navigation System with V-Sono Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE) catheter manipulator in the U.S. According to Stereotaxis, the Vdrive with V-Sono system is indicated for the remote control of compatible ICE (or ultrasound) catheters inserted into the right atrium. Stereotaxis said that the Vdrive, with V-Sono system, can improve efficiency for a Niobe ES remote magnetic navigation procedure by enabling a single-operator workflow through eliminating the need for manual ICE manipulation inside the sterile and radiation field. William Mills, Stereotaxis Board Chairman and Interim CEO, said, “The Vdrive platform has added significant clinical value to a growing number of Niobe ES labs in Europe, and this V-Sono clearance should accelerate procedure growth in our U.S. installed base as well as open up an untapped, expanding electrophysiology (EP) market where ICE catheters are widely utilized.”