Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Wall Street sentiment is constructive: Delta Air Lines has an average broker rating of “Moderate Buy” from 26 analysts, with 23 buy ratings and an average 12-month price target of about $79.76.
• Analysts have been adjusting targets upward or downward, but remain mostly bullish: Recent moves included lower targets from Susquehanna, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, while Jefferies and UBS raised their price targets and kept buy ratings.
• Recent company news and earnings have been supportive: Delta beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, raised its dividend outlook with a $0.1875 quarterly dividend, and has also benefited from news that Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a large new stake.

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $79.7625.

Several research firms recently issued reports on DAL. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $7,026,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $95,795,856.48. The trade was a 6.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 69,304 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.15, for a total transaction of $4,723,067.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,727,497.35. This represents a 49.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 204,925 shares of company stock valued at $14,323,395 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth about $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter worth about $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 357,825 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company's stock.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new 39.8 million-share Delta stake, a major endorsement that has boosted sentiment around DAL’s premium revenue and loyalty-driven business model.
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on Delta Air Lines, signaling improved analyst confidence in the carrier’s earnings and strategic positioning. Bernstein Raised PT on Delta Air Lines (DAL), Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding Europe flights, including added service to Madrid and Munich, to capture event-driven travel demand and support higher-yield premium bookings. Delta Expands Europe Flights to Capture Event-Driven Travel Demand
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ed Bastian defended Delta’s choice of Amazon Leo over Starlink, citing a much lower price point and other benefits, which may help keep technology costs in check. Delta CEO stands by his decision to choose Amazon over Elon Musk's Starlink for one main reason
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s CEO said the airline will prioritize global expansion over domestic tie-ups, indicating a focus on organic growth rather than near-term merger activity. Delta CEO Ed Bastian Says Airline Will Prioritize Global Expansion Over Domestic Tie-Ups Despite Trump's Merger-Friendly Policies
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces noted Delta as a stock to watch following Berkshire’s investment, but these were largely reiterations of the same ownership news rather than new operational developments. Berkshire’s New Delta Stake Highlights Premium And Loyalty Focus Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term profit-taking has also appeared after the Berkshire-related rally, suggesting some traders are fading the move despite the improved longer-term story.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 3.5%

DAL stock opened at $67.77 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $45.28 and a 1 year high of $76.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.89. The firm has a market cap of $44.52 billion, a PE ratio of 9.88, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. Delta Air Lines's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is a major U.S.-based global airline that provides scheduled passenger and cargo air transportation, aircraft maintenance and repair services, and related travel products. Its operations include mainline domestic and international passenger services, a branded regional network operating under the Delta Connection name, dedicated air cargo carriage, and in-house maintenance, repair and overhaul through Delta TechOps. Delta offers a range of cabin products for different customer segments, including premium business-class service on long-haul routes and tiered economy offerings on domestic and international flights, and it markets customer loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles frequent-flyer program.

The carrier operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft from multiple U.S.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.