Zacks Research Weighs in on Copa’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:CPA)

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) – Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Copa in a report issued on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the transportation company will post earnings of $5.14 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $4.78. The consensus estimate for Copa’s current full-year earnings is $15.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Copa’s Q2 2026 earnings at $4.23 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.72 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.06 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $19.15 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.87 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $4.91 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $4.98 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $5.17 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $19.93 EPS.

Copa (NYSE:CPA) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $962.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.22 million. Copa had a net margin of 18.57% and a return on equity of 25.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.99 EPS.

CPA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded 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 report on Thursday, February 12th. Itau BBA Securities began coverage on Copa in a report on Sunday, November 30th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Copa from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Copa from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Copa in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Copa presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.75.

Copa Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CPA opened at $148.21 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $135.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Copa has a 12 month low of $82.54 and a 12 month high of $156.41.

Copa Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. This is an increase from Copa’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.61. Copa’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.58%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Copa

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Copa by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,603,671 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,249,000 after purchasing an additional 30,101 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Copa by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,647,779 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $198,739,000 after buying an additional 44,834 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Copa by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,344,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $162,185,000 after buying an additional 31,699 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Copa by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 654,830 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $78,979,000 after acquiring an additional 12,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Copa by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 654,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $78,910,000 after acquiring an additional 22,126 shares in the last quarter. 70.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Copa

Here are the key news stories impacting Copa this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised multiple near‑term and full‑year EPS forecasts (notably FY2026 to $19.15 from $17.57 and FY2027 to $19.93), implying stronger expected earnings growth that can support valuation expansion.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased several quarterly estimates across 2026–2027 (Q1‑2026, Q2‑2026, Q3‑2026, Q4‑2026 and Q2‑/Q3‑2027), signaling improving operating expectations for upcoming periods.
• Positive Sentiment: Copa filed its annual Form 20‑F (FY2025) with the SEC — provides audited financials and signals regulatory compliance and transparency for international investors. Copa Holdings Files Annual Report Form 20-F
• Neutral Sentiment: Forward annual modeling: Zacks published a FY2028 projection ($21.09 EPS), which is forward‑looking and subject to revision — useful for longer‑term valuation but less actionable for near‑term moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and valuation discussion in the press is mixed: a Zacks piece highlights CPA as a strong value stock while other writeups note diverging analyst views on targets and upside. These narratives can attract interest but also create differing investor expectations. Zacks: Here’s Why Copa Holdings is a Strong Value Stock Yahoo: A Look At Copa Holdings Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Small downward tweaks: Zacks trimmed Q1‑2027 (4.95 → 4.87) and made minor adjustments to Q4‑2027 estimates — indicates some near‑quarter timing/seasonality risk remains.
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional activity is mixed — Quiver data show several large managers trimmed sizable positions in Q4‑2025 (e.g., Sprucegrove, Millennium), which can add selling pressure even as others increased exposure. QuiverQuant: Copa Files 20-F + Institutional Moves

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.