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Intuitive Surgical Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 20 October 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 1 lowered, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 22% on procedures: Revenue was $3.05 billion, up from $2.51 billion, with the company citing procedure volume, higher operating lease revenue and a larger installed base as drivers. Source
  • Worldwide procedures grew about 15%: Da Vinci procedures grew about 14% and Ion procedures about 31%, measured against the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • GAAP net income reflected settlement charge: GAAP net income attributable to Intuitive was $523 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, after a $450 million pre-tax litigation charge. Source
  • Non-GAAP gross margin reached 69.9%: Non-GAAP gross profit margin was 69.9%, against 68.0% a year earlier; GAAP gross profit margin was 68.4%. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating income rose to $1.27B: Non-GAAP operating income was $1.27 billion, up from $976 million a year earlier. Source
  • $450 million charge in SG&A: The charge was recorded in SG&A in the third quarter; the settlement agreement was reached in October, after mediation. Source

“Our strong performance this quarter was marked by broad-based adoption across our multi-port, single-port, and Ion platforms, with customers using our systems to perform, on average, over 10,000 procedures per day throughout the period,”

Dave Rosa, Intuitive CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Worldwide da Vinci procedure growth Sourcefull year 2026approximately 14% to 15%
Non-GAAP gross profit margin Sourcefull year 202668.7% to 69.3% of revenueRaised from 68.0% to 69.0% of revenue
Estimated tariff impact within gross margin range Sourcefull year 20260.9% of revenue (excluding recognized tariff refunds)Lowered from 1.0% of revenue
Non-GAAP operating expense growth Sourcefull year 202611% to 13%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Non-GAAP gross profit margin range for 2026 moved up to 68.7% to 69.3% from 68.0% to 69.0%. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Estimated tariff impact in the 2026 gross margin range reduced to 0.9% of revenue from 1.0%. Source
  • Guidance kept: Non-GAAP operating expense growth range for 2026 unchanged at 11% to 13%. Source
  • New: Antitrust class action settled in October 2026 for $450 million plus injunctive relief; settlement remains subject to Court approval. Source
  • New: CEO's closing remarks frame the focus as customers across geographies and sites of care, compared with the earlier focus on patient outcomes. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 22% on procedures: Revenue was $3.05 billion, up from $2.51 billion, with the company citing procedure volume, higher operating lease revenue and a larger installed base as drivers. Source
  • Worldwide procedures grew about 15%: Da Vinci procedures grew about 14% and Ion procedures about 31%, measured against the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • GAAP net income reflected settlement charge: GAAP net income attributable to Intuitive was $523 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, after a $450 million pre-tax litigation charge. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS reached $3.00: Non-GAAP net income was $1.05 billion, or $3.00 per diluted share, against $867 million, or $2.40 per diluted share, a year earlier. Source

Products, placements and installed base

  • Instruments and accessories rose 18%: Instruments and accessories revenue was $1.80 billion, driven by about 14% da Vinci and 31% Ion procedure growth. Source
  • Systems revenue rose with placements: Systems revenue was $769 million, reflecting more da Vinci placements and a higher lease installed base. Source
  • Services revenue reached $482 million: Services revenue was $482.2 million, up from $395.9 million in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Operating-lease placements rose: Of 546 da Vinci placements, 291 were under operating leases and 160 of those were usage-based, against 231 and 115 a year earlier. Source
  • Da Vinci installed base up 12%: The da Vinci installed base reached 12,094 systems at September 30, 2026, up 12% from a year earlier. Source

“Looking ahead, we will remain focused on serving customers across geographies and sites of care, enabling them to deliver better patient care, outcomes, and experiences, reduce the total cost of care, and expand access to minimally invasive care.”

Dave Rosa, Intuitive CEO

Procedure growth and Ion

  • Procedure growth below second-quarter rates: Ion procedure growth was about 31%, down from about 36% in the second quarter; da Vinci growth was about 14%, down from about 15%. Source
  • Ion placements rose to 56: Ion endoluminal placements were 56, compared with 50 a year earlier. Source
  • Da Vinci 5 placements rose to 315: Of the 546 da Vinci placements, 315 were da Vinci 5 systems, up from 240 in the third quarter of 2025. Source

Costs and margins

  • Non-GAAP gross margin reached 69.9%: Non-GAAP gross profit margin was 69.9%, against 68.0% a year earlier; GAAP gross profit margin was 68.4%. Source
  • Operating expenses rose across lines: Selling, general and administrative expense was $1.08 billion, up from $573.3 million; research and development was $408.3 million, up from $329.4 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating income rose to $1.27B: Non-GAAP operating income was $1.27 billion, up from $976 million a year earlier. Source
  • GAAP operating income declined to $593M: GAAP income from operations was $593 million, against $760 million in the third quarter of 2025. Source

Tariffs and tariff refunds

  • Tariff refunds added $0.06 per share: Refunds of tariffs paid in prior periods under IEEPA added $22 million, net of tax, to GAAP and non-GAAP results. Source
  • Refunds recognized in cost of revenue: Cost of revenue benefits from IEEPA tariff refunds were $25.7 million for product and $2.1 million for service. Source
  • Margin range assumes tariffs stay: The margin range reflects tariffs in effect at the time of the release and assumes they remain in place through year-end. Source

Litigation charge and share-based pay

  • $450 million charge in SG&A: The charge was recorded in SG&A in the third quarter; the settlement agreement was reached in October, after mediation. Source
  • Litigation charges excluded from non-GAAP: Non-GAAP results exclude litigation charges, along with share-based compensation, amortization of intangibles and other listed items. Source
  • Share-based compensation $216 million: GAAP operating income included $216 million of share-based compensation, up from $206 million; the company describes this expense as a significant recurring expense. Source

Cash, buybacks and capital

  • Cash fell to $6.80 billion: Cash, equivalents and investments fell $1.83 billion, mainly on share repurchases and property purchases, partly offset by operating cash. Source
  • Repurchased $2.94 billion of stock: Repurchases were 7.8 million shares, against 0.9 million shares for $0.38 billion in the second quarter. Source
  • Net PP&E and goodwill rose: Net property, plant and equipment was $5.68 billion and goodwill $557.8 million, against $5.34 billion and $370.3 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Worldwide procedures growth Sourceapproximately 15%
Da Vinci procedures growth Sourceapproximately 14%
Ion procedures growth Sourceapproximately 31%
Da Vinci surgical systems placed Source546
Da Vinci 5 systems placed Source315
Ion endoluminal systems placed Source56
Da Vinci installed base Source12,094 systems
Ion installed base Source1,152 systems
Procedures per day, on average Sourceover 10,000

Risks management discussed

  • External: Tariff changes beyond current expectations could materially affect 2026 results, including the non-GAAP gross margin. Source
  • Regulatory: The settlement requires preliminary and final Court approval, and approval or the absence of class member objections is not assured. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.