Grupo Aeroportuario Del Centro Norte Still A Tough Call As Traffic Weakens

I wasn’t overly fond of the short-term prospects for Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (NASDAQ:OMAB) (or “OMA”) back in July, as I was concerned about how the shares would respond to further weakness in traffic and headline risk around NAFTA, not to mention longer-term concerns regarding the Mexican economy, the next election cycle, and changes to air traffic patterns within Mexico. The shares are down about 20% in that short window since July, with rivals/peers Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (NYSE:PAC) and Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (NYSE:ASR) down roughly similar amounts. 

Traffic growth has continued to weaken, and not just because of multiple natural disasters. Worse yet, there are particular pockets of weakness (like the non-aero revenue per passenger trends in Monterrey) that still concern me. As I already expected weaker results, the changes to my model are mostly tied to currency moves, and my fair value is still above today’s price. While the apparent undervaluation is tempting, buying into shaky traffic trends and problematic per-passenger revenue is uncomfortable for me and I’m inclined to keep watching this name from the sideline.

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Grupo Aeroportuario Del Centro Norte Still A Tough Call As Traffic Weakens