Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) - What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly positive: Delta has a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with 22 of 24 analysts rating it a buy and an average 12-month price target of $99.65.
• Latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations: EPS was $1.72 versus $1.77 expected, and revenue was $17.59 billion versus $17.64 billion expected, though revenue rose 21.1% year over year. The company provided Q4 and full-year 2026 EPS guidance.
• Company insiders have been selling shares: Executives, including the CEO and an EVP, sold stock, with insiders selling a combined 122,950 shares worth about $10.5 million in the last quarter.

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $99.65.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Argus set a $95.00 price objective on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Monday, October 19th.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 28,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.93, for a total transaction of $2,406,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 80,025 shares in the company, valued at $6,876,548.25. This represents a 25.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 50,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.00, for a total transaction of $4,100,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,313,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $107,702,736. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 122,950 shares of company stock worth $10,519,626 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 27.4% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 62,365 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,205,000 after buying an additional 13,415 shares in the last quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 75.9% during the third quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 69,920 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,836,000 after buying an additional 30,164 shares during the period. Bornite Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the third quarter valued at about $2,587,000. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 4.9% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 31,942 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,715,000 after buying an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneAscent Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 25.0% in the third quarter. OneAscent Family Office LLC now owns 4,234 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company's stock.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL opened at $92.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $81.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $60.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.43. Delta Air Lines has a 52-week low of $55.27 and a 52-week high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.05). Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 16.83%. The company had revenue of $17.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. The business's revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th were issued a $0.2150 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 15th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.17%.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is a U.S.-based airline that provides passenger and cargo transportation. It serves domestic and international destinations through its own flights and relationships with partner airlines, with major hubs including Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, New York, and Salt Lake City. The company offers multiple cabin and fare options, including Delta One, First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. Its other businesses and services include Delta Cargo, the SkyMiles loyalty program, and aircraft maintenance and repair services through Delta TechOps.

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