We recently published a list of 10 Best Medical Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) stands against other best medical stocks to buy according to billionaires.
Why are Healthcare Stocks Under Pressure?
Some experts view medical, healthcare, and big pharma stocks as immune from trade carnage, making them a safe haven amid the uncertainty brought about by Trump’s tariffs. On April 8, Mizuho Securities America healthcare sector strategist Jared Holz appeared on CNBC’s ‘Power Lunch’ to talk about whether the speculations around the healthcare sector being a safe haven during market turmoil are true. He also discussed why healthcare companies are failing to get increased investor respect, given that healthcare is 20% of the American economy, which translates to around 1/5th of the country’s entire national output.
Holz said that the country’s major healthcare and pharmaceutical companies undoubtedly help fight its healthcare problems. However, when we look at their financial models and the way their businesses are currently set up, we have got generic patent cliffs over the next 5-7 years on the medium to long-term angle of the company, along with price concessions with the IRA and some of the things the Biden administration put into place. We have also got pricing degradation over the near term, and between those two lies competition and other setbacks. The models thus never line up well enough for investors to have a lot of confidence, as the business models do not lend themselves to long-term viability. These are the primary reasons the sector and stocks have been under pressure for so long.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Mid Cap Biotech Stocks to Buy and 12 Best Diagnostics Stocks to Invest In Right Now.
Is Healthcare a Safe Haven Amid the Ongoing Tariff Turmoil?
Holz further opined that managed care, particularly the government-centric names, are somewhat safe as they are insulated from tariffs as US-based companies. In fact, the economic slowdown is actually beneficial for them as they want less utilization and less patience through the system, which is how they typically beat numbers. He said that managed care is having a good day, and investors might think about owning some companies in the sector.
It is, however, a relative game, as there are several different variables at play, and investors are essentially playing a game of hopscotch in an attempt to jump from one area to another, whether it’s tariffs, drug pricing, or other public policies. He painted a similar picture for medical device stocks that are more US-centric. These two sectors thus have less risk relative to others, making them somewhat of a safe haven.
Our Methodology
In this article, we first sifted through ETFs and financial media reports to compile a preliminary list of stocks. We then examined Insider Monkey’s exclusive database of billionaire stock holdings to select the 10 best medical stocks with the most billionaire investors. These billionaires are founders or managers of some of the world’s leading hedge funds and companies.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A medical team performing minimally invasive surgery with a da Vinci Surgical System.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)
Number of Billionaire Investors: 18
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 95
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) has an elaborate ecosystem of services and products that provides robotic-assisted surgical solutions and invasive care. Its products include the Ion Endoluminal and the Da Vinci Surgical systems. In 2024, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) expanded its installed system base to 9,902, reflecting a 15% growth. It also grew its number of performed procedures by 17%, showing its technology’s global adoption.
Its fiscal Q4 2024 results also showed considerable growth, with Da Vinci procedures increasing by 18%. Overall revenue also increased by 25% to $2.41 billion, beating the consensus of $2.24 billion. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) holds a significant position in the surgical robotics market. According to Grand View Research, the surgical robotics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% until 2030. The global market is anticipated to be worth around $7.4 billion by then, up from $4.3 billion last year. The market holds potential for growth in the coming years and decades, supported by the rapid advancement of healthcare technologies.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ISRG) management has expressed optimism for 2025, expecting a 13%-16% growth in worldwide da Vinci procedures. In a report released on April 2, Patrick Wood from Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating on Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) and set a price target of $650.00. The firm said that growth in the company’s general surgery segment is more diversified than expected, which presents an attractive entry point for investors in conjunction with the recent stock pullback.
Overall, ISRG ranks 3rd on our list of best medical stocks to buy according to billionaires. While we acknowledge the potential for ISRG as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ISRG but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
