Comparing Copa (CPA) & The Competition
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyCopa (NYSE:CPA – Get Free Report) is one of 37 publicly-traded companies in the “TRANS – AIRLINE” industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare Copa to related companies based on the strength of its risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.
Profitability
This table compares Copa and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Copa | 18.57% | 25.62% | 10.92% |
| Copa Competitors | 5.09% | 20.89% | 4.49% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
70.1% of Copa shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.5% of shares of all “TRANS – AIRLINE” companies are held by institutional investors. 8.5% of shares of all “TRANS – AIRLINE” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Copa and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Net Income | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Copa | $3.62 billion | $671.65 million | 6.70 |
| Copa Competitors | $14.07 billion | $656.51 million | 33.12 |
Copa’s competitors have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Copa. Copa is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Copa and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Copa | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2.91 |
| Copa Competitors | 651 | 2285 | 3400 | 239 | 2.49 |
Copa presently has a consensus target price of $166.44, indicating a potential upside of 52.60%. As a group, “TRANS – AIRLINE” companies have a potential upside of 35.96%. Given Copa’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Copa is more favorable than its competitors.
Dividends
Copa pays an annual dividend of $6.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.3%. Copa pays out 42.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “TRANS – AIRLINE” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.8% and pay out 24.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Copa has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years.
Risk & Volatility
Copa has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Copa’s competitors have a beta of 11.12, meaning that their average stock price is 1,012% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Copa beats its competitors on 10 of the 15 factors compared.
About Copa
Copa Holdings, S.A., through its subsidiaries, provides airline passenger and cargo services. The company offers approximately 375 daily scheduled flights to 82 destinations in 32 countries in North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean from its Panama City hub. As of December 31, 2023, it operated a fleet of 106 aircraft comprising 76 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft, 29 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, and one Boeing 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter. The company was founded in 1947 and is based in Panama City, Panama.