What is an online travel agency (OTA) and how does it make money?

An OTA (like Despegar, Booking.com, or Expedia) aggregates travel inventory from airlines, hotels, and other suppliers and sells it to consumers through a single platform — earning commission or margin on each transaction. OTAs make money from: (1) commission-based bookings where they earn a percentage of the sale price; (2) merchant model where they buy inventory at wholesale and sell at retail margin; (3) advertising revenue from suppliers paying for prominence in search results.

How does Latin American economic volatility affect travel companies?

Latin American economies experience more frequent and severe recessions, currency devaluations, and political instability than developed markets. Currency devaluations make international travel more expensive for local consumers (international flights and hotels priced in USD become unaffordable when the local currency weakens). Domestic Latin American travel (within the same country or region) is somewhat less exposed to this, which is why Despegar's regional package business provides more local-currency revenue stability than pure international bookings.

What payment methods does Despegar use to serve Latin American consumers?

Latin American consumers have significantly different payment behaviors than North American or European travelers — credit card penetration is lower, installment plan purchases (paying for purchases in multiple monthly installments) are extremely common, and regional payment methods like Brazil's Pix (instant payment system), Bolivia's QR codes, and various local credit and debit networks are essential. Despegar's regional specialization in these payment methods is a key advantage versus global OTAs that may not support local payment infrastructure as well.

Data as of: September 22, 2026

brimindinvest.com / compare / sat-vs-golLIVE

CPA

Copa Holdings, S.A. · Industrials - Latin American Airline

$137.11

+6.92% this month

VERSUS

COMPARE

DESP

Despegar.com, Corp. · Consumer Discretionary - Online Travel Agency

N/A

N/A this month

Comparison scoreboard

MIXED SETUP

AI Scorei

CPA 39.4

DESP N/A

1Y Returni

CPA +20.41%

DESP N/A

Fwd P/Ei

CPA 6.67

DESP N/A

Target Up.i

CPA +38.96%

DESP N/A

Op. Margini

CPA 8.65%

DESP N/A

Metrics last refreshed: 9/22/2026

Quick take

CPA vs DESP Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside

ShareX LinkedIn Reddit Facebook WhatsApp

CPA (Copa Holdings) is Latin America's best-run airline with a Panama hub connecting the Americas, while DESP (Despegar.com) is Latin America's leading online travel agency enabling regional consumers to book flights, hotels, and vacation packages. Copa offers airline margin exposure; Despegar offers OTA platform exposure to Latin American travel growth.

CPA vs DESP is Latin American airline operations (Copa's hub model) versus Latin American travel technology marketplace (Despegar's OTA) — both exposed to Latin American travel demand growth but through fundamentally different business models and risk profiles.

Live analysis · updated 9/22/2026

CPA and DESP are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly.

Normalized 1Y performance

CPA

DESP

Not enough data to chart yet.

Recent returns

CPA

DESP

Analyst price targets & sentiment

Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.

CPA

Price target range

analyst mean$178.73
current price$137.11

+39.0% upside to analyst mean

DESP

Price target data unavailable

N/A

Who should consider this stock?

CPA may suit investors who:

Want the best-run Latin American airline with structural hub positioning advantages at Panama's crossroads location connecting the Americas
Value Copa's historically superior operating margins and load factors versus less disciplined Latin American carrier peers
Accept airline sector cyclicality (fuel costs, economic sensitivity) in exchange for Copa's geographic and operational differentiation

DESP may suit investors who:

Want Latin American online travel marketplace exposure as the region's largest OTA serving consumers booking flights, hotels, and vacation packages
Value Despegar's regional specialization (local payment methods, regional carrier relationships) as an advantage versus global OTAs in Latin American markets
See Latin American travel market digitization as a long-term secular growth opportunity with Despegar as the incumbent market leader

Performance & AI score

Performance & AI score
Metric	CPA	DESP
AI scorei	39.4	N/A
AI ranki	#1148	N/A
Latest closei	$137.11	N/A
1M returni	+6.92%	N/A
6M returni	+24.04%	N/A
1Y returni	+20.41%	N/A

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)

How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
Period	CPA	DESP
1Y ago	$12.66K (+26.6%) started 2025-09-22	N/A
5Y ago	$26.31K (+163.1%) started 2021-09-21	N/A
10Y ago	$29.33K (+193.3%) started 2016-09-21	N/A

Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.

Valuation & upside potential

Valuation & upside potential
Metric	CPA	DESP
Market capi	$5.25B	N/A
Trailing P/Ei	8.45	N/A
Forward P/Ei	6.67	N/A
Price/Salesi	N/A	2.11
EV/Revenuei	1.61	N/A
Analyst targeti	$178.73	N/A
Target upsidei	+38.96%	N/A

Growth, profitability & risk

Growth, profitability & risk
Metric	CPA	DESP
Revenue growthi	25.70%	N/A
Earnings growthi	-53.80%	N/A
EPS growthi	-53.80%	N/A
FCF margini	-0.79%	N/A
Operating margini	8.65%	N/A
Profit margini	15.71%	N/A
ROIC proxyi	23.07%	N/A
Return on equityi	23.07%	N/A
Dividend yieldi	5.45%	N/A
Payout ratioi	43.60%	N/A
Dividend growth streaki	No increase yet	N/A
Betai	0.99	0.65
Debt/equityi	89.27	N/A
Current ratioi	1.06	N/A
Quick ratioi	0.90	N/A

Drawdown & downside risk

Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.

1Y risk snapshot

CPA max drawdowni29.22%

DESP max drawdowniN/A

CPA max wkly dropi13.27%

DESP max wkly dropiN/A

5Y risk snapshot

CPA max drawdowni42.52%

DESP max drawdowniN/A

CPA max wkly dropi22.41%

DESP max wkly dropiN/A

10Y risk snapshot

CPA max drawdowni78.94%

DESP max drawdowniN/A

CPA max wkly dropi56.72%

DESP max wkly dropiN/A

Performance metrics by period

Performance metrics by period
Period	Metric	CPA	DESP
1Y	Growthi	+20.19%	N/A
	CAGRi	+20.27%	N/A
	Volatilityi	42.61%	N/A
	Sharpe ratioi	0.54	N/A
	Sortino ratioi	0.85	N/A
	Max drawdowni	29.22%	N/A
	Current drawdowni	11.61%	N/A
	Avg drawdowni	9.71%	N/A
	Ulcer Indexi	12.86%	N/A
	Max daily dropi	10.54%	N/A
	Max wkly dropi	13.27%	N/A
5Y	Growthi	+111.28%	N/A
	CAGRi	+16.14%	N/A
	Volatilityi	36.09%	N/A
	Sharpe ratioi	0.47	N/A
	Sortino ratioi	0.69	N/A
	Max drawdowni	42.52%	N/A
	Current drawdowni	11.61%	N/A
	Avg drawdowni	13.54%	N/A
	Ulcer Indexi	16.37%	N/A
	Max daily dropi	12.33%	N/A
	Max wkly dropi	22.41%	N/A
10Y	Growthi	+107.46%	N/A
	CAGRi	+7.57%	N/A
	Volatilityi	44.48%	N/A
	Sharpe ratioi	0.29	N/A
	Sortino ratioi	0.42	N/A
	Max drawdowni	78.94%	N/A
	Current drawdowni	11.61%	N/A
	Avg drawdowni	26.14%	N/A
	Ulcer Indexi	31.47%	N/A
	Max daily dropi	29.05%	N/A
	Max wkly dropi	56.72%	N/A

AI Prediction Signali

Members only

Next 5 trading days

CPA

+2.8%BUY

DESP

+1.1%HOLD

Next 30 trading days

CPA

+6.4%BUY

DESP

+3.2%HOLD

Start Free Trial Log in

ML model trained on historical prices · 14-day free trial · No credit card required

Business comparison

Business comparison
Category	CPA	DESP
Company	Copa Holdings, S.A.	Despegar.com, Corp.
Sector	Industrials	Consumer Discretionary - Online Travel Agency
Industry	Airlines	N/A
Core business	Copa Holdings operates Copa Airlines, a Panama City-based carrier that serves as the preeminent hub connecting North America, South America, and the Caribbean through Panama's Tocumen International Airport — offering exceptional connectivity across the Americas from a geographically central hub.	Despegar.com is Latin America's leading online travel agency (OTA), offering flight bookings, hotel reservations, vacation packages, and travel experiences across Latin America and the Caribbean — serving consumers in 20+ Latin American countries with a regionally focused platform.
Investor focus	Investors track Copa's passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM), load factor, operating costs (particularly fuel), capacity growth, and Panama's regulatory environment for the airline's continued hub expansion.	Investors track Despegar's gross bookings value, revenue take rate, transaction count, vacation packages mix (higher margin than point bookings), and recovery trajectory following COVID's severe impact on Latin American travel.

CPA strengths

Tocumen Airport's geographic position at the center of the Americas makes it an ideal hub for connecting flights between North and South America with superior schedule connectivity
Copa is consistently among the most profitable and best-run airlines in the Americas — it has delivered strong operating margins relative to Latin American peers
High load factors and disciplined capacity management have historically protected Copa's margins even during periods of fuel cost pressure

DESP strengths

Market-leading OTA in Latin America with brand recognition and payment integration adapted to regional markets where local payment methods and installment plans are essential
Vacation packages (bundled flight + hotel) provide higher margins than individual booking components and create more complex transactions that favor established regional OTAs over global platforms
Latin American travel market is underpenetrated relative to developed market online booking penetration, providing long-term secular growth runway

Risks to watch — CPA

Oil price increases significantly impact Copa's fuel costs, which are a large portion of total operating expenses and the primary profitability risk
Economic downturns in Latin American economies reduce corporate and leisure travel demand across Copa's route network
New entrants and low-cost carrier expansion in Copa's key markets could pressure yields on Copa's most profitable routes

Risks to watch — DESP

Competition from global OTAs (Booking.com, Expedia) and Airbnb in Latin American markets pressures Despegar's ability to maintain market share and margin
Latin American currency volatility affects both booking volumes and the USD-translated revenue reported to U.S. investors
Despegar has significantly improved profitability but still generates lower margins than global OTA leaders, reflecting the higher marketing investment required to serve fragmented Latin American markets

Frequently asked questions

Panama City sits roughly at the geographic center of the Americas — equidistant between the northernmost and southernmost points of the Western Hemisphere. Tocumen International Airport's location means Copa can offer flight connections from virtually any city in North America to any city in South America with similar connection times. This geographic centrality makes Tocumen the natural Americas hub hub, similar to how Amsterdam Schiphol serves as a European-Atlantic crossroads for KLM.

Free public comparison

Want deeper AI forecasts?

This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.

Start Free Trial Read Investing Guides

More comparisons