Copa Holdings CPA is benefiting from robust air travel demand, boosting its prospects. Fleet expansion and a shareholder-friendly approach are encouraging. However, the company is grappling with increased operating expenses.

Factors Favoring CPA

The uptick in air travel demand is boosting Copa Holdings’ prospects. In the third quarter of 2024, consolidated capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), increased by 9.5% year over year. Passenger traffic for the quarter, measured in terms of revenue passenger miles (RPMs), increased by 7.6% compared to the third quarter of 2023.

CPA reported an 86.2% load factor (% of seats filled by passengers) in the third quarter of 2024. For full-year 2025, the company currently anticipates increasing its capacity by approximately 7% to 9% compared to 2024, with unit costs, excluding fuel (Ex-Fuel CASM), projected to be around 5.8 cents.

Copa Holdings’ fleet expansion and modernization initiatives are commendable. In the third quarter of 2024, CPA took delivery of one Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, ending the quarter with a consolidated fleet of 110 aircraft — 67 Boeing 737-800s, 32 Boeing 737 MAX 9s, 9 Boeing 737-700s, 1 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 1 Boeing 737-800 freighter.

The company’s commitment to rewarding its shareholders through dividends is noteworthy. The company will make its third dividend payment of $1.61 per share on Dec. 13, 2024, to all its shareholders on record as of Dec. 2, 2024. These initiatives not only bolster investors’ confidence but also positively impact earnings per share.

Moreover, CPA exited the third quarter of 2024 with a current ratio (a measure of liquidity) of 1.09. A current ratio of greater than 1 is always desirable as it indicates that the company is well-positioned to meet its short-term obligations.

CPA: Key Risks to Watch

The surge in operating expenses is adversely impacting the company’s bottom line due to elevated maintenance, materials and repairs costs. In the third quarter of 2024, operating costs increased by 2.8% year over year.

In the third quarter of 2024, maintenance, materials and repairs expenses increased by 18.1% year over year. Passenger servicing costs surged by 13.3%. Labor costs comprising wages, salaries, benefits and other employees' expenses increased by 8.7% year over year.

Copa Holdings is currently mired in the above headwinds, which have led to its unimpressive price performance. CPA shares have plunged 7.4% over the past year against the industry’s 42.9% growth.

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CPA’s Zacks Rank

CPA currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Transportation sector are Expeditors International of Washington EXPD and ZIM Integrated Shipping Services ZIM.

Expeditors International of Washington currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company's earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters (missed the mark in the remaining quarter), delivering an average surprise of 4.75%. Shares of EXPD have risen 0.5% so far this year.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company's earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters (missed the mark in the remaining quarter), delivering an average surprise of 12.62%.

Shares of ZIM have surged 168.2% so far this year. The Red Sea crisis-induced high freight rates, a focus on niche markets and a shareholder-friendly approach bode well for ZIM.

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