Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH) shares are up around 1% and changing hands at $141.96 a piece, at the time of writing on Wednesday morning.
The latest increase comes off the back of a 8% share price hike on Tuesday, following the company's latest FY26 results announcement.
Cochlear posted a 2% increase in sales revenue and a 22% decrease in its underlying net profit, which came in right at the top end of guidance.
There were some significant positives though. Cochlear's operating cash flow surged $130 million to $368 million, while free cash flow also improved substantially. The company also continued to invest aggressively in research and development, lifting R&D spending 15% as it accelerated work on its product pipeline.
Clearly investors were pleased with the results and its shares have kept climbing higher.
It's great news for the stock after Cochlear shares suffered a huge 41% one-day crash in late-April after the company downgraded its guidance figures.
Since hitting a 10-year low of just $90 cents per share in late-April, Cochlear shares have now rebounded 52%. There is still a long way to go, however. The shares are now down around 46% for the year-to-date and are roughly 52% lower than this time last year.
The question now is, can Cochlear shares keep climbing higher?
Image source: Getty Images
What do analysts tip next for Cochlear shares?
It's possible that brokers and analysts could revise their stance on Cochlear shares in coming days, following the company's FY26 update yesterday.
But at the time of writing, it looks like the experts are still on the fence about the outlook for the hearing implant company's shares over the next 12 months.
Many are now uncertain that Cochlear shares can stage a meaningful recovery over the next 12 months. And some believe the shares are now above fair value.
Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a hold rating on Cochlear shares. The $116.08 average target price now implies a potential 18% downside from the current trading price, at the time of writing.
TradingView data shows something similar, although the figures are a little less pessimistic. Again, the majority of analysts have a hold rating on the shares. The $139.21 average target price implies a potential 2% downside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.
So, if I invest $5,000 into Cochlear shares today, what could it be worth in 12 months?
These forecasts suggest that a $5,000 investment into Cochlear shares today, could fall to somewhere around $4,100 to $4,900 by this time next year. That implies a loss of up to $900.
What could drive Cochlear shares higher?
It's been a difficult year for the medical hearing implant device company. Cochlear has suffered from a number of strong headwinds, including a sector-wide rotation away from ASX healthcare shares this year.
Looking ahead, I still see Cochlear as a strong, globally dominant business with its long-term outlook intact. I think the steep sell-offs this year were overdone and that the share price could quietly keep climbing higher.
