Analysis of Liquidity Ratios
Quarterly Data
Liquidity ratios measure the company ability to meet its short-term obligations.
Liquidity Ratios (Summary)
Intuitive Surgical Inc., liquidity ratios (quarterly data)
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).
- Current Ratio
- The current ratio exhibits a generally declining trend from the first quarter of 2021 through the end of 2024. Starting at a high of 6.71 in the first quarter of 2021, the ratio gradually decreases to a low of around 4.07 by the fourth quarter of 2024. Although the ratio fluctuates periodically, these intermittent increases do not offset the overall downward movement. This suggests a gradual reduction in short-term liquidity, indicating the company holds fewer current assets relative to current liabilities over time.
- Quick Ratio
- The quick ratio follows a pattern similar to the current ratio with a gradual decline throughout the period analyzed. Beginning at 5.76 in early 2021, it falls to approximately 3.00 by the end of 2024. Notable fluctuations occur during the quarters, but the consistent downward slope reflects a decrease in the company's ability to cover immediate liabilities without relying on inventory. This decline points to diminishing liquid asset coverage over the timeframe.
- Cash Ratio
- The cash ratio also shows a downward trajectory from a starting value of 5.04 in March 2021 to about 2.30 by December 2024. The ratio experiences some fluctuations but overall decreases notably, indicating a reduction in the company’s cash and cash equivalents relative to its current liabilities. The sharper decrease in the cash ratio compared to the current and quick ratios implies a significant change in cash holdings or a relative increase in current liabilities over the period.
- Overall Liquidity Trend
- All three liquidity measures—current, quick, and cash ratios—demonstrate declining trends over the observed quarters. This consistent decrease suggests a reduction in the liquidity position, implying that the company may be managing cash and liquid assets more tightly or experiencing growth in current liabilities faster than in current assets. While still maintaining ratios above 1, indicative of an ability to cover short-term obligations, the diminishing ratios warrant attention to short-term financial flexibility.
Current Ratio
Intuitive Surgical Inc., current ratio calculation (quarterly data)
| Sep 30, 2025 | Jun 30, 2025 | Mar 31, 2025 | Dec 31, 2024 | Sep 30, 2024 | Jun 30, 2024 | Mar 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | Sep 30, 2023 | Jun 30, 2023 | Mar 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2022 | Sep 30, 2022 | Jun 30, 2022 | Mar 31, 2022 | Dec 31, 2021 | Sep 30, 2021 | Jun 30, 2021 | Mar 31, 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Financial Data (US$ in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current assets | 8,525,300) | 8,745,900) | 7,657,800) | 7,111,000) | 7,215,600) | 7,654,300) | 7,632,700) | 7,888,000) | 8,902,900) | 8,031,800) | 6,877,000) | 6,253,000) | 6,293,100) | 6,292,500) | 5,803,200) | 5,844,900) | 5,728,000) | 6,016,600) | 6,066,400) | ||||||
| Current liabilities | 1,803,200) | 1,692,600) | 1,538,100) | 1,745,300) | 1,676,800) | 1,487,500) | 1,375,100) | 1,658,700) | 1,676,400) | 1,538,400) | 1,307,400) | 1,422,100) | 1,233,400) | 1,175,000) | 1,112,200) | 1,149,800) | 1,027,300) | 1,004,600) | 904,600) | ||||||
| Liquidity Ratio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ratio1 | 4.73 | 5.17 | 4.98 | 4.07 | 4.30 | 5.15 | 5.55 | 4.76 | 5.31 | 5.22 | 5.26 | 4.40 | 5.10 | 5.36 | 5.22 | 5.08 | 5.58 | 5.99 | 6.71 | ||||||
| Benchmarks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current Ratio, Competitors2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abbott Laboratories | 1.70 | 1.82 | 1.78 | 1.67 | 1.60 | 1.68 | 1.60 | 1.64 | 1.74 | 1.64 | 1.68 | 1.63 | 1.86 | 2.01 | 1.85 | 1.85 | 1.83 | 1.79 | 1.75 | ||||||
| Elevance Health Inc. | 1.56 | 1.44 | 1.43 | 1.45 | 1.50 | 1.49 | 1.37 | 1.44 | 1.41 | 1.44 | 1.43 | 1.40 | 1.35 | 1.36 | 1.36 | 1.47 | 1.48 | 1.49 | 1.57 | ||||||
| Medtronic PLC | 1.90 | 1.84 | 2.13 | 2.03 | 2.30 | 2.29 | 2.42 | 2.39 | 1.76 | 1.76 | 1.58 | 1.86 | 2.61 | 2.91 | 2.89 | 2.65 | 2.10 | 2.16 | 1.87 | ||||||
| UnitedHealth Group Inc. | — | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.83 | 0.91 | 0.88 | 0.85 | 0.79 | 0.80 | 0.80 | 0.81 | 0.77 | 0.82 | 0.77 | 0.78 | 0.79 | 0.77 | 0.77 | 0.74 | ||||||
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).
1 Q3 2025 Calculation
Current ratio = Current assets ÷ Current liabilities
= 8,525,300 ÷ 1,803,200 = 4.73
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
- Current Assets
- The current assets exhibit fluctuations throughout the observed periods with values ranging from approximately 5.7 billion to 8.9 billion US dollars. Initially, the current assets saw a decline from March 2021 to September 2021, followed by a generally increasing trend reaching a peak around September 2023. However, a slight decline can be noticed afterward through the final periods up to September 2025, although the values remain relatively high compared to the earlier years.
- Current Liabilities
- Current liabilities show a gradual increasing trend overall, starting from about 904.6 million US dollars in March 2021 and increasing steadily with some volatility, reaching over 1.8 billion US dollars by September 2025. There are some mid-period fluctuations, particularly peaks around the fourth quarters of the years observed, which suggest seasonality or end-of-year expense recognition patterns.
- Current Ratio
- The current ratio, an indicator of short-term liquidity, generally trends downward from 6.71 in March 2021 to fluctuating lower levels around 4.0 to 5.5 in the later periods. The ratio decreased steadily until the end of 2022, suggesting a relative tightening of liquidity despite increases in absolute current asset amounts. The ratio then demonstrates moderate recovery and variability between 4.07 and 5.55, but with some downtrends particularly noted in late 2024. Overall, the current ratio remains above 4, indicating the company maintains a strong liquidity position over the entire timeframe despite the downward trend.
- Summary Insights
- The data shows that current assets have expanded over the examined period but with intermittent decreases. Meanwhile, current liabilities have persistently increased, which applied downward pressure on the current ratio, demonstrating a moderate decrease in liquidity strength though it remains comfortably above 1. The company appears to maintain ample short-term financial stability, although the declining current ratio trend warrants attention to ongoing cash and liability management practices to maintain operational flexibility in future periods.
Quick Ratio
Intuitive Surgical Inc., quick ratio calculation (quarterly data)
| Sep 30, 2025 | Jun 30, 2025 | Mar 31, 2025 | Dec 31, 2024 | Sep 30, 2024 | Jun 30, 2024 | Mar 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | Sep 30, 2023 | Jun 30, 2023 | Mar 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2022 | Sep 30, 2022 | Jun 30, 2022 | Mar 31, 2022 | Dec 31, 2021 | Sep 30, 2021 | Jun 30, 2021 | Mar 31, 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Financial Data (US$ in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 2,806,600) | 3,403,100) | 2,573,800) | 2,027,400) | 2,413,300) | 3,036,700) | 2,839,500) | 2,750,100) | 3,602,000) | 3,435,400) | 2,143,000) | 1,581,200) | 1,538,000) | 1,536,100) | 1,103,100) | 1,290,900) | 1,346,700) | 1,615,500) | 1,401,800) | ||||||
| Short-term investments | 2,102,200) | 1,923,400) | 1,937,500) | 1,985,900) | 1,818,400) | 1,720,500) | 1,960,600) | 2,473,100) | 2,873,700) | 2,363,800) | 2,549,200) | 2,536,700) | 2,775,900) | 2,901,300) | 2,882,500) | 2,913,100) | 2,741,500) | 2,823,700) | 3,155,700) | ||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | 1,259,700) | 1,269,200) | 1,221,500) | 1,225,400) | 1,153,000) | 1,109,100) | 1,127,900) | 1,130,200) | 962,700) | 904,200) | 925,300) | 942,100) | 849,600) | 838,500) | 906,100) | 782,700) | 695,000) | 699,900) | 654,300) | ||||||
| Total quick assets | 6,168,500) | 6,595,700) | 5,732,800) | 5,238,700) | 5,384,700) | 5,866,300) | 5,928,000) | 6,353,400) | 7,438,400) | 6,703,400) | 5,617,500) | 5,060,000) | 5,163,500) | 5,275,900) | 4,891,700) | 4,986,700) | 4,783,200) | 5,139,100) | 5,211,800) | ||||||
| Current liabilities | 1,803,200) | 1,692,600) | 1,538,100) | 1,745,300) | 1,676,800) | 1,487,500) | 1,375,100) | 1,658,700) | 1,676,400) | 1,538,400) | 1,307,400) | 1,422,100) | 1,233,400) | 1,175,000) | 1,112,200) | 1,149,800) | 1,027,300) | 1,004,600) | 904,600) | ||||||
| Liquidity Ratio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quick ratio1 | 3.42 | 3.90 | 3.73 | 3.00 | 3.21 | 3.94 | 4.31 | 3.83 | 4.44 | 4.36 | 4.30 | 3.56 | 4.19 | 4.49 | 4.40 | 4.34 | 4.66 | 5.12 | 5.76 | ||||||
| Benchmarks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quick Ratio, Competitors2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abbott Laboratories | 1.09 | 1.14 | 1.09 | 1.05 | 1.00 | 1.02 | 0.95 | 1.00 | 1.04 | 1.00 | 1.07 | 1.06 | 1.22 | 1.33 | 1.21 | 1.28 | 1.25 | 1.19 | 1.16 | ||||||
| Elevance Health Inc. | 1.43 | 1.32 | 1.31 | 1.32 | 1.34 | 1.32 | 1.23 | 1.30 | 1.29 | 1.32 | 1.31 | 1.27 | 1.21 | 1.22 | 1.23 | 1.33 | 1.33 | 1.35 | 1.43 | ||||||
| Medtronic PLC | 1.19 | 1.17 | 1.35 | 1.31 | 1.46 | 1.42 | 1.51 | 1.54 | 1.18 | 1.18 | 1.01 | 1.30 | 1.87 | 2.07 | 2.06 | 1.91 | 1.58 | 1.63 | 1.37 | ||||||
| UnitedHealth Group Inc. | — | 0.76 | 0.77 | 0.75 | 0.83 | 0.81 | 0.79 | 0.73 | 0.75 | 0.74 | 0.75 | 0.70 | 0.77 | 0.71 | 0.72 | 0.72 | 0.71 | 0.71 | 0.68 | ||||||
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).
1 Q3 2025 Calculation
Quick ratio = Total quick assets ÷ Current liabilities
= 6,168,500 ÷ 1,803,200 = 3.42
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
The financial data reveals notable trends in the company's liquidity metrics over the observed periods, spanning from March 2021 to September 2025.
- Total Quick Assets
- The total quick assets exhibit some fluctuations but generally maintain a range between approximately $4.7 billion and $7.4 billion. Starting with around $5.2 billion in early 2021, there is a decrease through September 2021, followed by a moderate recovery into December 2021. From March 2022 onwards, the quick assets show a pattern of increase and decline, peaking notably at $7.4 billion in the third quarter of 2023 before declining again towards the end of 2024. In 2025, quick assets rise again in the first half but decrease slightly by the third quarter. This fluctuation suggests periodic pressures and recoveries in the liquid asset base.
- Current Liabilities
- Current liabilities display a generally upward trend throughout the period. Starting at approximately $904.6 million in March 2021, the liabilities progressively increase, reaching a high of around $1.8 billion by the end of the dataset in September 2025. Intermittent quarters show slight decreases or plateaus, but the overall trajectory indicates rising short-term obligations over time.
- Quick Ratio
- The quick ratio, representing the company's ability to cover current liabilities with quick assets, declines from an initial high of 5.76 in March 2021 to a low around 3.00 by December 2024. The ratio experiences temporary increases, such as in early 2023 and mid-2025, but generally trends downward, indicating a relative decrease in liquidity coverage capacity. Despite the decline, the ratio remains above 3.0 in most periods, which suggests the company maintains liquidity above the minimum common thresholds.
Overall, the data suggests that while the company has maintained a strong absolute level of quick assets, the pace of increase in current liabilities has outstripped asset growth to some extent, leading to a gradual reduction in the quick ratio. This pattern reflects tightening liquidity conditions over time, although the ratio's values still imply a healthy liquidity position relative to short-term obligations.
Cash Ratio
Intuitive Surgical Inc., cash ratio calculation (quarterly data)
| Sep 30, 2025 | Jun 30, 2025 | Mar 31, 2025 | Dec 31, 2024 | Sep 30, 2024 | Jun 30, 2024 | Mar 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | Sep 30, 2023 | Jun 30, 2023 | Mar 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2022 | Sep 30, 2022 | Jun 30, 2022 | Mar 31, 2022 | Dec 31, 2021 | Sep 30, 2021 | Jun 30, 2021 | Mar 31, 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Financial Data (US$ in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 2,806,600) | 3,403,100) | 2,573,800) | 2,027,400) | 2,413,300) | 3,036,700) | 2,839,500) | 2,750,100) | 3,602,000) | 3,435,400) | 2,143,000) | 1,581,200) | 1,538,000) | 1,536,100) | 1,103,100) | 1,290,900) | 1,346,700) | 1,615,500) | 1,401,800) | ||||||
| Short-term investments | 2,102,200) | 1,923,400) | 1,937,500) | 1,985,900) | 1,818,400) | 1,720,500) | 1,960,600) | 2,473,100) | 2,873,700) | 2,363,800) | 2,549,200) | 2,536,700) | 2,775,900) | 2,901,300) | 2,882,500) | 2,913,100) | 2,741,500) | 2,823,700) | 3,155,700) | ||||||
| Total cash assets | 4,908,800) | 5,326,500) | 4,511,300) | 4,013,300) | 4,231,700) | 4,757,200) | 4,800,100) | 5,223,200) | 6,475,700) | 5,799,200) | 4,692,200) | 4,117,900) | 4,313,900) | 4,437,400) | 3,985,600) | 4,204,000) | 4,088,200) | 4,439,200) | 4,557,500) | ||||||
| Current liabilities | 1,803,200) | 1,692,600) | 1,538,100) | 1,745,300) | 1,676,800) | 1,487,500) | 1,375,100) | 1,658,700) | 1,676,400) | 1,538,400) | 1,307,400) | 1,422,100) | 1,233,400) | 1,175,000) | 1,112,200) | 1,149,800) | 1,027,300) | 1,004,600) | 904,600) | ||||||
| Liquidity Ratio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash ratio1 | 2.72 | 3.15 | 2.93 | 2.30 | 2.52 | 3.20 | 3.49 | 3.15 | 3.86 | 3.77 | 3.59 | 2.90 | 3.50 | 3.78 | 3.58 | 3.66 | 3.98 | 4.42 | 5.04 | ||||||
| Benchmarks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash Ratio, Competitors2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abbott Laboratories | 0.53 | 0.54 | 0.53 | 0.56 | 0.52 | 0.52 | 0.47 | 0.53 | 0.54 | 0.57 | 0.66 | 0.66 | 0.74 | 0.75 | 0.65 | 0.78 | 0.75 | 0.71 | 0.67 | ||||||
| Elevance Health Inc. | 0.89 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 0.85 | 0.90 | 0.86 | 0.82 | 0.87 | 0.90 | 0.92 | 0.91 | 0.86 | 0.87 | 0.86 | 0.86 | 0.95 | 0.97 | 0.97 | 1.08 | ||||||
| Medtronic PLC | 0.67 | 0.66 | 0.76 | 0.74 | 0.85 | 0.80 | 0.87 | 0.88 | 0.77 | 0.79 | 0.63 | 0.85 | 1.26 | 1.37 | 1.36 | 1.27 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 0.99 | ||||||
| UnitedHealth Group Inc. | — | 0.29 | 0.30 | 0.28 | 0.37 | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.34 | 0.42 | 0.44 | 0.43 | 0.36 | 0.46 | 0.36 | 0.37 | 0.36 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.33 | ||||||
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).
1 Q3 2025 Calculation
Cash ratio = Total cash assets ÷ Current liabilities
= 4,908,800 ÷ 1,803,200 = 2.72
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
- Total Cash Assets
- The total cash assets experienced fluctuations over the observed quarters. Starting at approximately 4.56 billion USD in March 2021, there was a decline towards the end of 2021 and early 2022, reaching a low near 3.99 billion USD in March 2022. Following this period, there was a recovery with a peak in September 2023 at around 6.48 billion USD. However, after this peak, the cash assets trended downward again, falling to approximately 4.91 billion USD by September 2025. The overall pattern reflects a cyclical movement with notable peaks and troughs within the four-year span.
- Current Liabilities
- Current liabilities show a general upward trend over the course of the quarters. From approximately 905 million USD in March 2021, liabilities steadily increased, experiencing occasional accelerations particularly during the latter part of 2022 and into 2023. By September 2025, current liabilities reached about 1.80 billion USD, more than doubling since the beginning of the period. This increase suggests growing short-term financial obligations alongside other factors.
- Cash Ratio
- The cash ratio, representing the company's ability to cover current liabilities with cash and cash equivalents, showed a declining trend overall despite some fluctuations. Beginning at a high ratio of 5.04 in March 2021, it decreased steadily to a low of 2.3 in December 2024. Temporary improvements appeared in mid-2023 and mid-2025, but the ratio remained lower compared to the earlier part of the observed timeframe. This decline indicates that while total cash assets varied, the company's relative liquidity position compared to its liabilities weakened over time.
- Summary Insights
- The financial data reveals an increasing burden of current liabilities coupled with variability in cash assets, leading to a general decrease in liquidity as measured by the cash ratio. The significant rise in liabilities outpaced the growth and recovery of cash assets in most periods, suggesting a trend toward potentially tighter short-term financial conditions. The cyclical nature of cash holdings highlights periods of asset accumulation, possibly linked to operational or strategic initiatives, yet the progressively lower cash ratio points to a need for ongoing attention to liquidity management.