Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing Copa Holdings (CPA) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One company value investors might notice is Copa Holdings (CPA - Free Report) . CPA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 6.03. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.85. Over the past year, CPA's Forward P/E has been as high as 9 and as low as 5.32, with a median of 7.03.

We also note that CPA holds a PEG ratio of 0.34. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. CPA's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.49. CPA's PEG has been as high as 0.39 and as low as 0.27, with a median of 0.32, all within the past year.

We should also highlight that CPA has a P/B ratio of 1.89. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 3.56. Over the past year, CPA's P/B has been as high as 3.04 and as low as 1.55, with a median of 2.35.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that CPA has a P/CF ratio of 5.59. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 5.78. Over the past 52 weeks, CPA's P/CF has been as high as 7.75 and as low as 4.60, with a median of 5.84.

Another great Transportation - Airline stock you could consider is Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, B. de C.V. (VLRS - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, B. de C.V. currently holds a Forward P/E ratio of 53.63, and its PEG ratio is -2.17. In comparison, its industry sports average P/E and PEG ratios of 9.85 and 0.49.

Over the past year, VLRS's P/E has been as high as 6,243.17, as low as -73,021.84, with a median of 9.57; its PEG ratio has been as high as 644.96, as low as -7,543.58, with a median of 0.32 during the same time period.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, B. de C.V. sports a P/B ratio of 5.31 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 3.56. In the past 52 weeks, VLRS's P/B has been as high as 8.02, as low as 3.47, with a median of 5.56.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Copa Holdings and Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, B. de C.V. are likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, CPA and VLRS feels like a great value stock at the moment.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Copa Holdings, S.A. (CPA) - free report >>

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (VLRS) - free report >>

Published in