Here's Why Investors Should Bet on Copa Holdings Stock Now

Copa Holdings CPA is benefiting from its robust expansion and modernization efforts, boosting the company’s operational efficiency. The shareholder-friendly initiatives are also encouraging. Owing to these tailwinds, CPA shares have performed impressively on the bourse. If you have not taken advantage of its share price appreciation yet, it’s time to do so.

Upsides for CPA

CPA’s Northward Earnings Estimate Revision: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has been revised upward by 6.4% over the past 60 days for the current year. For 2026, the consensus mark for earnings per share has moved 4.9% north in the same time frame. The favorable estimate revisions indicate brokers’ confidence in the stock.

Robust Price Performance: A look at the company’s price trend reveals that its shares have risen 19.9% year to date, surpassing the  Zacks Transportation – Airline industry’s 7.1% fall.

Positive Earnings Surprise History: Copa Holdings has an encouraging earnings surprise history. The company's earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 5.5%.

Solid Zacks Rank: CPA currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Bullish Industry Rank: The industry to which CPA belongs currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 48 (out of 244). Such a favorable rank places it in the top 20% of Zacks Industries.Studies show that 50% of a stock price movement is directly related to the performance of the industry group to which it belongs.

A mediocre stock within a strong group is likely to outperform a robust stock in a weak industry. Reckoning the industry’s performance becomes imperative.

Growth Factors: Copa Holdings continues to drive long-term growth and modernization, ending the first quarter of 2025 with a streamlined fleet of 112 Boeing 737 aircraft. This uniform fleet supports cost-efficient operations and simplified maintenance. Strengthening its future plans, Copa exercised options for six additional 737 MAX-8s for delivery in 2028, raising its firm order book to 57. Operationally, the airline led the industry with a 90.8% on-time performance and a 99.9% flight completion rate, underscoring its focus on efficiency and reliability.

Copa’s commitment to delivering shareholder value remains strong. In 2024, the company repurchased $87 million in shares under its $200 million share buyback program, representing approximately 2% of total outstanding shares at year-end. In addition, Copa’s board approved a quarterly dividend of $1.61 per share for 2025, payable on June 13 to shareholders of record as of May 30. Through share repurchases and consistent dividends, Copa continues to prioritize long-term value for its investors.

Other Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the Transportation sector may also consider SkyWest SKYW and Air Lease AL.

SKYW currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

SKYW has an expected earnings growth rate of 19.4% for the current year. The company has an impressive earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 17.1%. Shares of SKYW have risen 21.1% year to date.

AL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

The company has a mixed earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, delivering an average beat of 5.2%. Shares of AL have rallied 18.5% year to date.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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