IRDM vs. ISRG

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG).

Performance

IRDM vs. ISRG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IRDM vs. ISRG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IRDM Iridium Communications Inc.	60.58%	-38.51%	-28.09%	-19.10%	24.49%	5.00%	59.60%	33.55%	56.36%	22.92%
ISRG Intuitive Surgical, Inc.	-18.60%	8.51%	54.72%	27.14%	-26.15%	31.76%	38.39%	23.43%	31.23%	72.64%

Fundamentals

Market Cap IRDM : $2.91B ISRG : $166.14B
EPS IRDM : $1.07 ISRG : $7.89
PE Ratio IRDM : 25.83 ISRG : 58.45
PEG Ratio IRDM : 0.15 ISRG : 3.58
PS Ratio IRDM : 3.39 ISRG : 16.59
PB Ratio IRDM : 6.28 ISRG : 9.32
Total Revenue (TTM) IRDM : $871.66M ISRG : $10.06B
Gross Profit (TTM) IRDM : $479.77M ISRG : $6.64B
EBITDA (TTM) IRDM : $450.05M ISRG : $3.62B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IRDM achieves a 60.58% return, which is significantly higher than ISRG's -18.60% return. Over the past 10 years, IRDM has underperformed ISRG with an annualized return of 14.02%, while ISRG has yielded a comparatively higher 21.20% annualized return.

IRDM

• 1D: 3.47%
• 1M: 16.53%
• YTD: 60.58%
• 6M: 61.13%
• 1Y: 4.35%
• 3Y*: -21.94%
• 5Y*: -5.99%
• 10Y*: 14.02%

ISRG

• 1D: 1.81%
• 1M: -8.44%
• YTD: -18.60%
• 6M: 3.08%
• 1Y: -6.92%
• 3Y*: 21.74%
• 5Y*: 13.09%
• 10Y*: 21.20%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

IRDM vs. ISRG — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

IRDM

IRDM Risk / Return Rank: 44
IRDM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 44
IRDM Sortino Ratio Rank: 43
IRDM Omega Ratio Rank: 44
IRDM Calmar Ratio Rank: 43
IRDM Martin Ratio Rank: 44

ISRG

ISRG Risk / Return Rank: 32
ISRG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 33
ISRG Sortino Ratio Rank: 29
ISRG Omega Ratio Rank: 29
ISRG Calmar Ratio Rank: 34
ISRG Martin Ratio Rank: 35

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

IRDM vs. ISRG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	IRDM	ISRG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.08	-0.21	+0.28
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.51	-0.08	+0.59
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	0.99	+0.08
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.07	-0.26	+0.33
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.11	-0.49	+0.60
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IRDM vs. ISRG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IRDM Sharpe Ratio is 0.08, which is higher than the ISRG Sharpe Ratio of -0.21. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IRDM and ISRG, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IRDM	ISRG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.08	-0.21	+0.28
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.14	0.40	-0.54
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.32	0.66	-0.35
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.16	0.49	-0.33

Correlation

The correlation between IRDM and ISRG is 0.28, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

IRDM vs. ISRG - Dividend Comparison

IRDM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.13%, while ISRG has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
IRDM Iridium Communications Inc.	2.13%	3.34%	1.90%	1.26%
ISRG Intuitive Surgical, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

IRDM vs. ISRG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IRDM drawdown since its inception was -75.34%, smaller than the maximum ISRG drawdown of -82.26%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IRDM and ISRG.

Drawdown Indicators

	IRDM	ISRG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-75.34%	-82.26%	+6.92%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-50.74%	-24.09%	-26.65%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-75.34%	-49.90%	-25.44%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-75.34%	-49.90%	-25.44%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-56.20%	-24.48%	-31.72%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-25.91%	-21.24%	-4.67%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	31.05%	12.78%	+18.27%

Volatility

IRDM vs. ISRG - Volatility Comparison

Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) has a higher volatility of 16.07% compared to Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) at 6.47%. This indicates that IRDM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than ISRG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IRDM	ISRG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	16.07%	6.47%	+9.60%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	40.76%	22.11%	+18.65%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	57.34%	33.82%	+23.52%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	43.78%	33.02%	+10.76%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	44.36%	32.10%	+12.26%

Financials

IRDM vs. ISRG - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Iridium Communications Inc. and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

IRDM - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. reported a gross profit of 168.52M and revenue of 212.94M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 79.1%.

ISRG - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. reported a gross profit of 1.90B and revenue of 2.87B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 66.4%.

IRDM - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. reported an operating income of 55.25M and revenue of 212.94M, resulting in an operating margin of 26.0%.

ISRG - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. reported an operating income of 864.30M and revenue of 2.87B, resulting in an operating margin of 30.2%.

IRDM - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. reported a net income of 24.87M and revenue of 212.94M, resulting in a net margin of 11.7%.

ISRG - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. reported a net income of 794.80M and revenue of 2.87B, resulting in a net margin of 27.7%.