World important news by Iona

UPDATE 1-Intuitive Surgical 3rd qtr profit jumps

* 133 da Vinci systems sold in quarter* Shares rise 8 percentOct 18 (Reuters) - Intuitive Surgical Inc reported a much higher-than-expected third-quarter profit on increased demand for its da Vinci surgical robots and a rise in procedures using the expensive systems, and its shares rose 8 percent.The company sold 133 of its surgical systems in the quarter at a cost of about $1.5 million each, and saw procedure volume rise in what has been a traditionally weak quarter for Intuitive.The company posted a net profit of $122 million, or $3.05 per share, compared with a profit of $87 million, or $2.14 per share, a year ago. That topped analysts’ average expectations by 29 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.Revenue for the quarter rose 30 percent to $447 million, surpassing Wall Street estimates of $418 million and the previous quarter’s sales of $426 million.The third quarter tends to be weaker for Intuitive as many surgeons who operate the da Vinci systems take vacations during the summer, lowering potential procedure volume.But the company said procedure volume rose 30 percent from the year-ago quarter.Instruments and accessories sales rose 38 percent to $176 million, while services revenue rose 25 percent to $72 million for the quarter.Intuitive shares rose to $414 in extended trading from their Nasdaq close of $382.76, approaching their year high of $415.19 hit in July.