Copa (NYSE:CPA) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $133.71 and last traded at $131.8820, with a volume of 22382 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $131.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CPA shares. Raymond James Financial set a $164.00 target price on Copa and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Copa in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on shares of Copa in a research report on Sunday, November 30th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Copa from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Copa from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.00.

Copa Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.12, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company’s 50-day moving average is $122.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.43.

Copa (NYSE:CPA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The transportation company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.03 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $913.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $917.51 million. Copa had a net margin of 18.83% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Copa Holdings, S.A. will post 15.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Copa Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $1.61 dividend. This represents a $6.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Copa’s payout ratio is 40.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Copa

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Copa by 0.9% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,573,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $543,432,000 after purchasing an additional 40,285 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Copa by 3.4% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,313,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $156,014,000 after acquiring an additional 42,921 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Copa by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 642,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $76,375,000 after acquiring an additional 22,177 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Copa by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 552,249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,731,000 after purchasing an additional 78,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in Copa by 35.2% in the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 550,805 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $65,447,000 after purchasing an additional 143,497 shares in the last quarter. 70.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Copa

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.