Swiss hearing aid manufacturer Sonova (Sonova) saw its stock price rise to its highest level in 16 months on October 8th, following Goldman Sachs' upgrade of its rating from "neutral" to "buy" and a significant increase in the target price from CHF 230 to CHF 315, a rise of about 37%. Goldman Sachs believes that thanks to the launch of new products, expansion of market share in Asia, and improvement in industry fundamentals, Sonova's future revenue and profit growth are expected to significantly exceed market expectations. On that day, Sonova's stock price rose by about 0.5%, reaching its highest level since June 11, 2025, while during the same period, the Swiss SMI index fell by about 0.8%.
Product innovation and expansion into the Asian market are the two main drivers behind Goldman Sachs' positive outlook on Sonova.
Goldman Sachs believes that Sonova is expected to achieve growth higher than the overall global hearing aid industry in the coming years, with new products Virto R, expansion of the U.S. retail channel, and business growth in the Asia-Pacific region being the main driving factors.
In terms of products, Goldman Sachs expects that Virto R hearing aids will continue to drive sales growth. Regarding channels, Sonova re-entered the sales network of the American retailer Costco in 2025, and Goldman Sachs anticipates that the company will further expand its market share in this channel this year. The Asian market, on the other hand, offers even greater potential for long-term growth.
Goldman Sachs pointed out that in the last six months of the 2026 fiscal year, the revenue of Sonova's Japanese business, calculated at a fixed exchange rate, increased by 30% to 45% year-on-year, indicating that the company has already demonstrated strong growth momentum in some Asian markets. According to Goldman Sachs' estimates, if Sonova is able to narrow the market share gap with its Asian competitors by about half during the 2027 to 2029 fiscal years, it is expected to contribute an additional 3 percentage points to the group's annual revenue growth.
Expected revenue growth of 9% in the first half of the year, significantly higher than the market's forecast of 6.2%.
Goldman Sachs' assessment of the future performance of Sonova is significantly higher than the general market expectations. For the first half of fiscal year 2027, Goldman Sachs expects Sonova to see revenue growth of about 9% at a fixed exchange rate, while the consolidated market consensus expectation for Visible Alpha is only 6.2%. This means that Goldman Sachs' forecast for revenue growth in the first half is about 2.8 percentage points higher than market expectations. Looking at the full year, Goldman Sachs expects Sonova to meet the upper end of the company's performance guidance for fiscal year 2027, with a revenue growth rate of 7.8% at a fixed exchange rate, which is higher than the market consensus expectation of 6.6%.
In terms of profits, Goldman Sachs expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation (EBITDA) to grow by 12.6% year-over-year in fiscal year 2027. This forecast includes the impact of exchange rates and is nearly twice the market consensus of 6.5%. Based on a more optimistic business outlook, Goldman Sachs has raised its revenue forecasts for fiscal years 2027 to 2029 by 4% to 7%, and it has also increased its forecasts for adjusted EBITDA and earnings per share during the same period by 7% to 10%.
The weakening of the Swiss franc improves the profit environment; the financial report on November 12th becomes a key catalyst.
In addition to the company's own operational growth, exchange rate changes have also provided favorable conditions for Sonova's future performance. Goldman Sachs noted that since Sonova announced its financial results for the 2026 fiscal year, the Swiss franc has depreciated against a basket of related currencies, making the current foreign exchange environment more favorable for the company than when it issued its performance guidance in May of this year. For Sonova, whose business spans the globe, a weaker franc is conducive to improving overseas revenue and the performance of profits when converted into local currencies.
The market will next focus on the financial results for the first half of 2027, which Sonova is scheduled to announce on November 12th. Goldman Sachs expects that by then, the company's actual revenue and profit growth will more clearly reflect a trend that exceeds market consensus expectations, and this could become an important catalyst for further increases in the stock price.
Overall, Goldman Sachs' upward revision of the rating and target price reflects a more optimistic outlook for the growth prospects of Sonova. The strong performance of the Japanese market, the potential expansion of its Asian business, the growth of its retail channels in the United States, and a more favorable exchange rate environment are all key factors that have led to its upward revision of performance forecasts for the next three years.
