8 Best Airline Stocks to Buy Heading into 2026

4. Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA)

Analysts’ Upside Potential as of November 20: 32.6%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) is one of the Best Airline Stocks.

On November 20, TD Cowen analyst Thomas Fitzgerald reaffirmed his Buy rating and $141 price target on Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) following the company’s Q3 2025 results. The analyst said the company’s performance in the quarter was robust, with its EPS of $4.20 exceeding the street and his own estimates. He argued that loyalty revenue was supported by the renewal of the ConnectMiles co-branded credit card agreement, which offset the softness in passenger revenue.

Along with its Q3 results on November 19, the company outlined its full-year 2025 outlook, continuing to project an operating margin of 22% to 23% and forecasting annual capacity growth of around 8%. For comparison, its 2024 ASM capacity growth was 8.6% YoY, and its operating margin was 21.9%.

Earlier, on November 4, 2025, Raymond James also increased its price objective for Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) to $164 from $150 and maintained a Strong Buy rating for the shares, as reported by The Fly. The analyst informed investors in a research note that the price target increase is due to a revised fuel projection, an improved currency backdrop, and continued quarterly capacity growth. Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) should benefit from improved MAX delivery patterns at Boeing, the firm stated.

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) released its preliminary traffic numbers for October 2025 on November 13, 2025, as per the Fly. System-wide passenger traffic (RPMs) climbed 9.3% to 2,443.6 million, while capacity (ASMs) increased 9.6% to 2,803.0 million.

October’s load factor was 87.2%, which is 0.2 percentage points less than October 2024. The load factor slightly decreased as a result of capacity growth exceeding traffic growth, according to the business.

Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA) and its subsidiaries operate aircraft passenger and cargo services.