TORONTO, July 3, 2026, 14:10 EDT
- Air Canada shares moved within roughly 1.2% of the 52-week high.
- Volume was under 9% of the daily average in early Friday afternoon trading.
- The stock traded above the average analyst target, while full-year guidance was still on hold.
- A new report naming a possible CEO successor brought a new angle ahead of the second-quarter results.
Air Canada (TSE:AC) inched up in Toronto Friday. Shares hovered near a one-year high, sitting above the average analyst target. Volume was still thin.
Air Canada was at C$24.65, up 0.37%, on Google Finance as of 13:12 EDT. That keeps the stock 1.2% under its 52-week high at C$24.95. Volume came in at 244,840 shares, or 8.4% of the quoted 2.92 million average volume.
| Air Canada tape | Latest snapshot |
|---|---|
| Price | C$24.65 |
| Day move | up 0.37% |
| Day range | C$24.40 to C$24.70 |
| Gap to 52-week high | 1.2% off top |
| Volume vs average | 8.4% |
The stock doesn’t look cheap compared to the average sell-side call. The latest MarketBeat survey of nine analysts gives it a “Hold,” with five holds and four buys. The average 12-month target sits at C$23.73, which is 3.77% below the current C$24.66. MarketBeat
| Analyst tape | MarketBeat data |
|---|---|
| Consensus says | Hold |
| Buy / hold / sell count | 4 / 5 / 0 |
| Average price target | C$23.73 |
| Top target | C$32.00 |
| Lowest target | C$19.00 |
| Implied move off quote | -3.77% |
Air Canada stock is pushing up to the high end of its latest range even though the company still hasn’t brought back its full-year outlook or picked a new CEO. That gap is in focus.
Anko van der Werff, CEO of SAS, is now seen as the top contender for the Air Canada job, according to a Bloomberg report out Thursday. The same report said a clear decision on succession might give the stock a short-term boost.
Air Canada in March said CEO Michael Rousseau would step down by the end of the third quarter. The board began a global search outside the company in January and said it would evaluate candidates partly on how well they could communicate in French.
Air Canada shares have climbed beyond where the company says it can see. The airline dropped its 2026 full-year outlook on April 30, citing much lower confidence in fuel price forecasts for the second half. Management is sticking to Q2 targets: adjusted EBITDA between C$575 million and C$725 million, capacity up 0.5% to 1%, and jet fuel at around C$1.28 per litre.
Rousseau said Air Canada aims to cover “between 50 per cent and 60 per cent” of its extra fuel costs and still sees “strong demand across the network.” Air Canada
Chief Commercial Officer Mark Galardo told the earnings call that Air Canada sees “no demand degradation for Q3.” Finance chief John Di Bert pointed to a “CAD90 million headwind from fuel” in Q1 and said the company still expects “continued volatility.” Investing.com Canada
Air Canada underperformed the market today. The S&P/TSX Composite gained 0.80% to 35,247.82 as of 13:25 EDT. Transat A.T. (TSE:TRZ), a related name on Google Finance, rose 1.72%.
| Friday comparison | Move |
|---|---|
| Air Canada | up 0.37% |
| S&P/TSX Composite | rose 0.80% |
| Transat A.T. | added 1.72% |
TSX was trading, with Canada Day set for July 1 as the next Canadian holiday on the exchange calendar. July 3 appeared on the list for U.S. holidays, tagging special settlement for U.S. dollar trades. NYSE markets stayed shut Friday for the observed Independence Day holiday.
Investing.com has Air Canada scheduled to report earnings next on Aug. 5, 2026.
