Copa Holdings(US:CPA) ZACKSยท2025-05-09 16:20Core Viewpoint - Copa Holdings (CPA) reported strong first-quarter 2025 earnings, with earnings per share of $4.28 exceeding estimates and showing a year-over-year improvement of 2.2% [1]. Financial Performance - Revenues reached $899.2 million, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $889.5 million, and increased by 0.6% year over year, driven by an 8.7% rise in onboard passengers [1]. - Passenger revenues, which accounted for 95.6% of total revenues, remained flat year over year at $859 million, impacted by a 9.1% decrease in yield [1]. - Cargo and mail revenues improved by 17.3% year over year to $25.7 million, while other operating revenues grew by 12.7% to $14.5 million due to increased Connect Miles revenues from non-air partners [2]. Operational Metrics - Traffic, measured in revenue passenger miles, grew by 10.1%, and capacity, measured in available seat miles, increased by 9.5% year over year, resulting in a load factor of 86.4%, up 0.4 percentage points [3]. - Passenger revenue per available seat mile decreased by 8.7% to 11 cents, while revenue per available seat mile (RASM) fell by 8.1% to 11.5 cents [4]. Cost and Expenses - Total operating expenses rose by 1.2% year over year to $685.4 million, with notable increases in maintenance, materials, and repairs by 53.9% [5]. - The average fuel price per gallon decreased by 12.4% year over year to $2.54 [4]. Financial Position - At the end of the first quarter, Copa Holdings had cash and cash equivalents of $164.8 million, down from $613.3 million at the end of 2024, with total debt, including lease liabilities, at $1.9 billion [6]. Fleet and Future Outlook - The company exercised options for six additional Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft, expected to be delivered in 2028, ending the quarter with a consolidated fleet of 112 aircraft [7]. - For 2025, management anticipates a consolidated capacity growth of 7-8% and an operating margin of 21-23%, with expectations of low fuel costs and a load factor of 86.5% [8].