SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies) |
6 Months Ended |
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Jun. 30, 2017 | |
Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”) of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have been prepared on a consistent basis with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and include all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the information set forth herein. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S.”) (“U.S. GAAP”). These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed with the SEC on February 6, 2017. The results of operations for the first six months of fiscal year 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year or any future periods. |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This new standard will replace most of the existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective and permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The new standard, as amended, becomes effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, but allows the Company to adopt the standard one year earlier if it so chooses. The Company currently plans to adopt this accounting standard in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. The Company currently anticipates adopting this ASU using the full retrospective method to restate each prior reporting period presented in its Financial Statements. While the Company is continuing to assess the effect of this new standard, the Company currently believes that contractual future billings related to services included in its multi-year contracts will be considered performance obligations that should be part of the contract consideration allocated to all deliverables. Under the current standard future service billings are considered to be contingent revenue. Accordingly, the amount of contract consideration allocated to the performance obligations identified in the Company’s system arrangements would be different under the new standard than the amount allocated under the current standard. The Company currently expects that under the new standard a greater amount of the contract consideration would be allocated to the product-related performance obligations, which are generally delivered upfront. In addition, the Company also expects that incremental contract acquisition costs of obtaining revenue generating contracts, such as sales commissions paid in connection with system sales with multi-year service commitments, would be capitalized and amortized over the economic life of the contract. Under the current guidance, the Company expenses such costs when incurred. The new revenue standard is principle based and interpretation of those principles may vary from company to company based on their unique circumstances. It is possible that interpretation, industry practice, and guidance may evolve as companies and the accounting profession work to implement this new standard. The Company is still in the process of evaluating the effect of the new standard on the Company’s historical financial statements and disclosures. While the Company has not completed its evaluation, the Company currently believes that the impact to revenue and expense recognized will not be material to any of the years presented. As the Company completes its evaluation of this new standard, new information may arise that could change the Company’s current understanding of the impact to revenue and expense recognized. Additionally, the Company will continue to monitor industry activities and any additional guidance provided by regulators, standards setters, or the accounting profession and adjust the Company’s assessment and implementation plans accordingly. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which amends the existing accounting standards for leases. The new standard requires lessees to record a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet (with the exception of short-term leases). The new standard also requires expanded disclosures regarding leasing arrangements. The new standard becomes effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 and early adoption is permitted. The new standard is required to be adopted using the modified retrospective approach and requires application of the new standard at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. The Company generally does not finance purchases of equipment or other capital, but does lease some of its facilities. The Company’s customers finance purchases of da Vinci systems and ancillary products, including directly with the Company. It is currently unknown whether the new standard will change customer buying patterns or behaviors. The Company is evaluating the effect that this new standard will have on its Financial Statements and related disclosures. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfer of Assets Other than Inventory, which requires the recognition of the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset, other than inventory, when the transfer occurs. This ASU will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018. This ASU is required to be adopted using the modified retrospective approach, with a cumulative catch-up adjustment to retained earnings in the period of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this ASU on its Financial Statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which clarifies the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The standard will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this ASU on its consolidated financial statements. Adopted Accounting Pronouncement Beginning fiscal 2017, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-based Payment Accounting, which changes among other things, how the tax effects of share-based awards are recognized. ASU No. 2016-09 requires excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recognized in the provision for income taxes as discrete items in the period when the awards vest or are settled, whereas previously such income tax effects were generally recorded as part of additional paid-in capital. The provision for income taxes for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, included excess tax benefits of $30.6 million and $63.2 million, respectively, that reduced the Company's effective tax rate by 11.4 and 13.5 percentage points, respectively. The recognized excess tax benefits resulted from share-based compensation awards primarily associated with employee equity plans that were vested or settled in the three and six months ended June 30, 2017. This ASU also eliminates the requirement to reclassify cash flows related to excess tax benefits from operating activities to financing activities on the consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company adopted this provision retrospectively by reclassifying $30.3 million of excess tax benefits from financing activities to operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2016. The Company also excluded the related tax benefits when applying the treasury stock method for computing diluted shares outstanding on a prospective basis as required by this ASU. In addition, the Company elected to continue its current practice of estimating expected forfeitures. The amount of excess tax benefits and deficiencies recognized in the provision for income taxes will fluctuate from period to period based on the price of the Company’s stock, the volume of share-based instruments settled or vested, and the value assigned to share-based instruments under U.S. GAAP. |
Allowance for Sales Returns and Doubtful Accounts | Allowance for Sales Returns and Doubtful Accounts The allowance for sales returns is based on the Company’s estimate of potential future product returns and other allowances related to current period product revenue. The Company analyzes historical returns, current economic trends, and changes in customer demand and acceptance of the Company's products. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. |