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

Key Points

• Analysts remain broadly bullish on Delta Air Lines, with 22 buy ratings out of 24 and an average “Moderate Buy” recommendation. The average 12-month price target is $99.65, though several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Delta shares were trading at $75.38, down 3.5%, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.72, missing consensus by $0.05, while revenue rose 21.1% year over year to $17.59 billion.
• Insiders have been selling shares: company insiders sold roughly $33.1 million of stock over the past 90 days, while institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of Delta. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.215 per share, yielding about 1.1% annually.

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $99.65.

Several analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Peter W. Carter sold 39,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $3,709,902.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 424,704 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,488,977.92. This trade represents a 8.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 40,460 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.55, for a total transaction of $3,785,033.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,766,994.20. This trade represents a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 356,726 shares of company stock valued at $33,081,037. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,829,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 105.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 39,018 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,595,000 after purchasing an additional 20,012 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 45.1% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 449,986 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $42,146,000 after purchasing an additional 139,799 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 102.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 105,966 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,045,000 after purchasing an additional 53,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 49.4% during the 1st quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 68,743 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,570,000 after purchasing an additional 22,718 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company's stock.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of DAL opened at $75.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm's 50-day moving average is $82.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.25. Delta Air Lines has a twelve month low of $55.03 and a twelve month high of $95.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.05, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.05). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 16.83% and a net margin of 4.58%. The firm had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. Delta Air Lines's revenue was up 21.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a dividend of $0.2150 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is presently 17.17%.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline that provides scheduled passenger and air freight transportation. The company serves destinations throughout the United States and connects customers to international markets across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean through its own operations and regional airline partners.

Delta offers multiple classes of passenger service, including premium cabins and its main cabin, along with travel-related products such as vacation packages and loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles program.

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