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Medtronic robot delay 'clear positive' for Intuitive Surgical, says Cantor. Medtronic (MDT) today at its analyst meeting said it expects commercial launch of its surgical robot in fiscal 2020, which is roughly a year delay compared to the company's prior expectations, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Craig Bijou tells investors in a research note partially titled "ISRG's Headstart Gets Bigger." The analyst views the revised timing of the commercial launch of Medtronic's robot as a "clear positive" for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG). With the commercial launches of the Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) robots at least 18 months away, Intuitive should continue to grow its global installed base, further advancing its global surgical robotics leadership position, Bijou writes. He reiterates his Overweight rating on the shares with a $510 price target. The stock in afternoon trading is up $8.46 to $486.39.

Intuitive Surgical shares to get lift on new FDA clearance, says Piper Jaffray. Though most expected clearance, Intuitive Surgical shares tomorrow will likely get a lift from the FDA approval for da Vinci Sp for urological procedures, Piper Jaffray analyst Matt O'Brien tells investors in a research note. Given the large number of inpatient invasive procedures of this kind, this will be a meaningful platform in the coming years, O'Brien adds. He keeps a Neutral rating on Intuitive Surgical, however, saying expectations are already quite high for the company to beat numbers.