Copa (NYSE:CPA) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $147.33, but opened at $139.32. Copa shares last traded at $140.8590, with a volume of 4,875 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CPA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Copa from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $151.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Copa from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Copa in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Copa in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $164.00 price target on shares of Copa and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Copa currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.75.

Copa Stock Up 1.9%

The company has a market cap of $5.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company’s 50-day moving average is $133.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.86.

Copa (NYSE:CPA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $4.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.44 by ($0.26). Copa had a net margin of 18.57% and a return on equity of 25.62%. The business had revenue of $962.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $959.22 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Copa Holdings, S.A. will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Copa Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a boost from Copa’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Copa’s payout ratio is 39.58%.

Institutional Trading of Copa

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Focus Financial Network Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Copa by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,193 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Burney Co. grew its position in Copa by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 6,032 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in Copa by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 3,743 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Copa by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Copa by 90.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 253 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.09% of the company’s stock.

Copa Company Profile

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.