CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares are in the green in Wednesday lunchtime trade. At the time of writing, the shares are up 1.2% to $141 a piece. In fact, over the past five days, the biotech company's stock price has continually climbed, now up 4%.
It's great news for investors, as the beaten-down stock's share price has crashed significantly over the past 18 months. Several headwinds, including lacklustre financial results, a surprise restructure announcement, a shock CEO exit and revised revenue guidance, all helped push the share price down.
Concerns around margins and broad market conditions haven't helped the biotech company's shares either. Healthcare stocks have lagged in 2026 as investors shift towards the resources and energy sectors.
At the time of writing, the S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) is down 5% over the past month and 17.5% for the year-to-date.
For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 5.2% over the past month and 1.8% year-to-date.
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If I bought $5,000 worth of CSL shares 12 months ago, what are they worth now?
The company's share price is down 18% year-to-date and 45% over the past 12 months.
Today's share price uptick means that $5,000 invested in the biotech company 12 months ago is now worth just $2,750.
Meanwhile, $5,000 invested in the company's shares when the ASX first opened for the year on the 2nd of January is now worth $4,100.
But it's not all doom and gloom for CSL shares
CSL is an Australian-based biotech company that develops biotherapies and vaccines, and plasma-derived medicines are at the core of its business. The company's blood plasma division is a frontrunner in the market for rare blood disorders and immunoglobulin products. And demand is booming.
Building demand for plasma therapies in a market with limited competition means CSL's business is likely to experience strong growth.
The company itself is robust, too. CSL has experienced periods of double-digit growth, and its positive forecast implies a long-term recovery is ahead.
Analysts are also very bullish on CSL's outlook. Many think the sell-off was way overdone and that the company is now trading at below fair value.
TradingView data shows that 12 out of 18 analysts currently have a buy or strong buy rating on the stock. The average target price is $209.50, which implies a 50% upside at the time of writing. However, some think the share price could storm even higher, by 94% to $272.53 a piece.
