Intuitive Surgical Stock Leads Robot-Assisted Surgery

A couple of years ago, we pulled back the curtain on how thematic exchange traded funds (ETFs) work. The article came out around the time we were trying to find the best robotics ETF to invest in. This also coincided with the initial release of the Nanalyze Disruptive Tech Portfolio, which has since evolved as we tweak our methodology to be as rules-based as possible. In effect, our portfolio is a thematic ETF of disruptive technologies. One of our goals is to purge the portfolio of other ETFs in order to provide a basket of pure-play stocks under the 12 different categories we cover. 

That means we want to eventually replace the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ) with a company that offers better exposure to the theme. In reality, few ETFs contain a universe of pure-play stocks, and BOTZ is no exception. The top three companies on the list, for example, are either pick-and-shovel plays on the theme or large conglomerates that derive only part of their revenue from robotics. However, the company currently sitting in the No. 4 slot, Intuitive Surgical Inc (