Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts assign Copa a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from 10 covering firms (7 buys, 2 holds, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $167.75.
• Copa's latest quarter showed EPS of $4.18 (missed consensus $4.44) while revenue of $962.9M slightly beat estimates and rose 9.6% year‑over‑year, with a net margin of 18.57% and ROE of 25.62%.
• Copa increased its quarterly dividend to $1.71 (annualized $6.84), implying a ~5.2% yield, an ex‑dividend date of Feb. 27, and a payout ratio of about 42%.

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $167.75.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CPA shares. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Copa in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Copa from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Copa from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Copa in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Copa from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $151.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 12th.

Copa Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of CPA stock opened at $132.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.12, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $136.24 and a 200-day moving average of $126.11. Copa has a 12-month low of $82.54 and a 12-month high of $156.41.

Copa (NYSE:CPA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $4.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.44 by ($0.26). Copa had a net margin of 18.57% and a return on equity of 25.62%. The firm had revenue of $962.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.22 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.99 earnings per share. Copa's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Copa will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Copa Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This is a positive change from Copa's previous quarterly dividend of $1.61. Copa's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Copa in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Copa during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Copa by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Copa by 90.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 253 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Copa by 271.4% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.09% of the company's stock.

Copa Company Profile

Copa Holdings, SA NYSE: CPA is a Panama‐based aviation holding company that provides passenger and cargo air transportation across the Americas and the Caribbean. Through its principal subsidiary, Copa Airlines, the company operates a modern fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, offering scheduled flights that connect passengers through its Tocumen International Airport hub in Panama City. The company also offers dedicated cargo services under the Copa Cargo brand, leveraging belly hold capacity on its passenger flights to transport freight throughout its network.

The roots of Copa Holdings trace back to 1947, when Compañía Panameña de Aviación began operations as the flag carrier of Panama.

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