We recently compiled a list of the 20 Most Profitable Stocks of the Last 20 Years. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is one of the most profitable stocks on our list. TheFly reported on January 23 that Evercore ISI analyst Vijay Kumar lowered the price target on ISRG to $550 from $580 while maintaining an In Line rating. The analyst said the company’s performance was largely in line with expectations, with notable beats in both revenue and EPS driven by strong system placements and procedure growth. In contrast, ...

Core Viewpoint - The Nasdaq Composite index has experienced significant volatility, recently entering a bear market but showing signs of recovery, presenting potential buying opportunities for long-term investors in select stocks [2][3]. Group 1: Alphabet - Alphabet's share price is down approximately 25% from its all-time high earlier this year, creating a favorable buying opportunity for long-term investors [4]. - The company has a price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 1.04, indicating reasonable valuation based on five-year earnings growth projections [4]. - Google Cloud is the fastest-growing major cloud services provider, and the rollout of its Gemini large language model has positioned it competitively against OpenAI's ChatGPT [5]. - Google Search has integrated generative AI features, leading to increased search usage and user satisfaction, which is expected to drive robust growth [6]. - Future revenue growth is anticipated from Alphabet's Waymo self-driving car technology unit [6]. Group 2: Intuitive Surgical - Intuitive Surgical's share price is down about 6% from the beginning of the year, but it remains a strong long-term investment [7]. - The company has over 10,670 robotic surgical systems installed globally, with nearly 2.7 million procedures performed last year, showcasing its market leadership [8]. - A significant 84% of Intuitive Surgical's total revenue in 2024 is expected to come from recurring sources, up from 71% in 2017, indicating strong cash flow [9]. - The company estimates that there are 8 million procedures annually that it can target, which is nearly three times its current procedure volume, with additional potential in 22 million procedures under development [10]. Group 3: Vertex Pharmaceuticals - Vertex Pharmaceuticals has achieved a 17.5% gain so far in 2025, indicating strong momentum [12]. - The company holds a virtual monopoly in treating cystic fibrosis, bolstered by the FDA approval of Alyftrek, which offers more convenient dosing and potentially higher profitability [13]. - Vertex's new drug Journavx, approved in January, is the first new class of pain medication in over 20 years, expected to be commercially successful due to its non-addictive properties [14]. - The company is also advancing the rollout of Casgevy, a gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease, and has a promising pipeline with four late-stage programs, including one aimed at curing severe type 1 diabetes [15].