Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $167.75.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CPA. Itau BBA Securities began coverage on shares of Copa in a report on Sunday, November 30th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Copa in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Barclays upped their price objective on Copa from $150.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Copa from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Copa from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 8th.

Copa Stock Performance

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

Copa (NYSE:CPA) last posted 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 return on equity of 25.62% and a net margin of 18.57%.The company had revenue of $962.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Copa will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Copa Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a 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 42.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Copa

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Copa by 196.1% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 450 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Copa in the fourth quarter valued at $417,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Copa by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,456 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 1,232 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in Copa during the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Copa in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 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.