The Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH) share price has climbed higher into the green in Wednesday morning trade.

At the time of writing, the ASX healthcare shares are up over 1% to $137.95 a piece.

Today’s increase means the shares have now rebounded around 53% from a 10-year low of just $90 each in late April.

The recovery has been pretty consistent, but there is a long way for the shares to go before they return to pre-2026 levels following a series of investor sell-offs earlier this year.

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 and some disappointing financial updates.

The Cochlear share price fell around 20% after the company released its half-year results in February, and the shares crashed another 41% in a day in late April after the company downgraded its guidance figures. 

What has driven the rebound?

There has clearly been a recovery of investor sentiment since April, and healthcare stocks have generally started attracting more interest from investors over the past couple of months.

In July, the company confirmed that its hearing implant systems will continue to be imported into the US duty-free after the US Government released its findings from a series of Section 301 investigations. The announcement helped ease US tariff issue concerns.

In mid-August, management posted its FY26 results. The announcement included underlying net profit of $322 million, down 22% but right at the top end of guidance.  

Looking ahead to FY27, Cochlear expects low-single-digit constant currency revenue growth and an underlying net profit between $330 million and $350 million. 

Investors were thrilled with the results and rushed to snap up the shares.

Now the question is, can the Cochlear share price keep climbing? Or is another crash coming?

Here’s what the experts think.

Can the Cochlear share price climb higher?

Looking ahead, I still see Cochlear as a strong, globally dominant business with its long-term outlook intact. I think the steep sell-off this year was overdone, and that the share price could quietly keep climbing higher.

But at the time of writing, it looks like the experts aren’t convinced. It looks like many are questioning whether Cochlear shares can stage a meaningful recovery over the next 12 months.

Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a hold rating on Cochlear shares. But the $126.07 average target price now implies a potential 8% downside from the current trading price.

TradingView data is a little more positive. Again, the majority of analysts have a hold rating on the shares. The $142.26 average target price implies a potential 4% upside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

The post Cochlear share price rebounds 53% from 10-year low: Can it keep climbing? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX shares I think could return 10%+
• Cochlear vs Pro Medicus: Which beaten-down ASX healthcare share is the better buy today?
• 2 ASX shares I’d buy before they return to their 52-week highs
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• CSL led the ASX healthcare shares rebound. Can it continue?

Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Cochlear. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

At age 67, Australians could be eligible to receive the Age Pension payment.

This is a fortnightly sum, paid by Centrelink, to help older individuals fund their retirement. It’s an excellent tool, but is it enough to be able to afford the lifestyle you want?

Let’s take a look.

How much is the Age Pension?

The maximum fortnightly Age Pension payment will go up next week to $1,237.70 for individuals. Couples will soon get up to $933 per person per fortnight. 

This totals $32,180 per year for singles, and $48,516 per year for couples combined.

These figures include the maximum basic rate, the maximum pension supplement, and the energy supplement.

But, not everyone will get it. 

Eligibility for the Age Pension is heavily dependent on your income level and the assets you own.

It is possible to earn a part-payment if your income and/or assets are over the threshold, and the amount is generally calculated on a sliding scale.

How much does it cost to retire?

According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), there are two main retirement lifestyle brackets in Australia: modest and comfortable.

A modest retirement is one that allows you to meet essential living costs. It assumes you’ll have enough money to fund basic costs like basic health insurance, essential utilities, and grocery expenses. It leaves a little room for infrequent, low-cost leisure activities and perhaps the occasional budget meal out. But it doesn’t account for funds for travel, and leaves only a very limited discretionary budget. 

ASFA estimates that a modest retirement will cost approximately $36,548 per year for singles and around $52,690 for a couple combined. These figures assume you own your home outright (so additional mortgage or rental costs will be on top) and that you’ll receive a part Age Pension. 

ASFA defines a comfortable retirement as one that allows Australians to maintain a good standard of living. It covers expenses like top-tier private health insurance, a reasonable car, and regular leisure activities. It also includes money for home repairs and renovations, some meals out, and maybe even an occasional holiday.

The data shows that a comfortable retirement is estimated to cost around $56,166 per year for singles and $78,998 for couples. Again, it assumes you’ll receive a part Age Pension and that you own your home in full.

The verdict

No, the Australian Age Pension isn’t enough to retire comfortably. In fact, it is even below the forecasted cost of a modest retirement. 

For a modest retirement, the gap is around $4,400 per year for singles and $4,200 for couples combined.

For a comfortable retirement, the gap is even wider, at around $24,000 per year for singles and roughly $30,500 for couples combined.

This means you’ll need superannuation or alternative savings to bridge the difference between the Age Pension payment and the realistic costs of retirement. 

The post Is the Australian Age Pension enough to retire comfortably? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much income could a $1.2 million superannuation balance generate?
• Why I’d buy and hold BHP shares for 10 years
• 3 ASX shares I think could return 10%+
• Cochlear share price rebounds 53% from 10-year low: Can it keep climbing?
• Two broker upgrades put CSL shares back in focus

Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares are having a choppy session on Tuesday.

The CSL share price climbed as high as $177 in early trade but has since given back those gains, now flat at $174.30.

This comes as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) slips a little further into the red, down 0.1% to 8,670 points at the time of writing.

Still, CSL shares have had a much better run over the past month after a tough first half of 2026.

And with two brokers upgrading the stock overnight, there’s a bit more for investors to think about.

Brokers are getting more positive

According to The Australian, Barrenjoey has upgraded CSL to overweight with a $180 price target.

And RBC is even more positive, upgrading the stock to outperform and lifting its price target to $213.

That would put the shares more than 20% above where they trade today.

The broader broker picture is a bit more mixed, though.

TipRanks shows 11 recent analyst ratings on CSL, with 5 buys and 6 holds. The average 12-month price target is $172.92, which is basically where the shares are trading now.

But there are still some pretty bullish targets out there.

Jarden is at $207, Morgans is at $187.71, Canaccord is at $185, Morgan Stanley is at $182, and UBS is at $181.

At the lower end, Citi has a $160 target, Bell Potter is at $150, and Macquarie is down at $133.

Why I’m interested

I’m not interested in CSL just because a couple of brokers have upgraded the stock.

What I like more is that the business looks like it could finally be getting through some of the issues that have weighed on it.

FY26 revenue came in at US$15.8 billion, down 1% in constant currency, while underlying NPATA fell 2% to US$3.1 billion.

The statutory result looked a lot worse, with large impairments and restructuring costs pushing CSL to a US$2.6 billion loss.

But there were still some positives underneath the result.

Immunoglobulin revenue rose 7% over the year, channel inventory normalisation was completed, and CSL delivered US$176 million of savings during FY26.

Management is now targeting US$400 million of savings in FY27 and US$550 million by FY28.

Would I buy CSL shares?

Yes, I would.

CSL still has a few things to sort out, particularly around Vifor, albumin, and Seqirus, so I wouldn’t expect the recovery to be smooth from here.

Today’s early jump and quick reversal show there could still be plenty of volatility along the way.

But that doesn’t put me off.

CSL is still a business I’d be happy to own for the long term.

And at $174, I’d be happy to start with a smaller position around these levels and add to it over time.

The post Two broker upgrades put CSL shares back in focus appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Is the CSL share price heading to $200?
• CSL shares have surged over 25%. Do brokers see more upside?
• CSL shares just fell 5% after a strong rally. Is the recovery losing steam?
• What Warren Buffett can teach Australians about superannuation
• Higher or lower: Where are CSL shares going next?

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.