Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. DXCM scored 81.5, ISRG scored 75.1 — DXCM leads.
Compare another set
DXCM
DexCom, Inc.
Medical Devices · Quality-Growth
81.5
$84.11 · $31.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
6.4
DXCM leads
ISRG
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Medical Instruments & Supplies · Quality-Growth
75.1
$423.96 · $149.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestDXCM33.4x
Fastest growthISRG+20.5%
Strongest balance sheetISRG0.00
Highest qualityDXCM90 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
DXCM
stronger →← stronger
ISRG
90
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
85
89
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
90
67
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
55
DXCM is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
DXCM
ISRG
$1.4bC+
FCF
$3.2bB
+15.6%B+
Rev
+20.5%A-
0.53B
D/E
0.00A
33.4xC+
P/E
48.6xC
2.11C
PEG
1.93C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
DXCM
ISRG
57% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
215% above
~23%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~44%/yr
-46%
1-yr DCF upside
-73%
-36%
5-yr DCF upside
-68%
-20%
10-yr DCF upside
-59%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
DXCM
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
ISRG
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
DXCMDexCom, Inc.
Medical Devices · $84.11 · beta 1.48
Why now
Medical Devices · market cap $31.7b. 9% off the 52-week high of $92.59. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. 26 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $96.23 (implying +14% upside).
Moat
Net margin 20% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 38% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 141% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Beta 1.48 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return. Trailing P/E 33x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
ISRGIntuitive Surgical, Inc.
Medical Instruments & Supplies · $423.96 · beta 1.46
Why now
Medical Instruments & Supplies · market cap $149.8b. Down 30% from 52-week high of $603.88 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +21%, comfortably above the S&P median. 30 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $477.47 (implying +13% upside).
Moat
Net margin 28% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 17% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 103% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Beta 1.46 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return. Trailing P/E 49x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. P/S 13.6x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where DXCM and ISRG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 6.4 points in favor of DXCM. The widest single difference is Value, where DXCM leads by 11.9 points.
ValueDXCM 67.3 · ISRG 55.4DXCM +11.9
QualityDXCM 90.4 · ISRG 84.9DXCM +5.5
GrowthDXCM 89.1 · ISRG 90.1level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is DXCM or ISRG the better stock?
DXCM scores higher: DXCM 81.5, ISRG 75.1 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do DXCM and ISRG differ most?
The widest gap is value, where DXCM leads by 12 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. DXCM also leads quality, while growth is effectively level between them.
How are DXCM and ISRG scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.