Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Given New $73.00 Price Target at Wolfe Research

Key Points

• Wolfe Research cut its price target on Delta to $73 from $81 while maintaining an Outperform rating, implying about a 10.4% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a $78.43 average price target; Delta trades near $66, has a $43.2B market cap and is forecast to earn roughly 7.63 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Near-term dynamics are mixed: Delta is raising checked-bag fees for a revenue lift, but surging jet-fuel costs tied to the Iran conflict pose the biggest downside risk, and insiders have sold about 620,550 shares (~$44.1M) in the past three months.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by stock analysts at Wolfe Research from $81.00 to $73.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the transportation company's stock. Wolfe Research's price target indicates a potential upside of 10.40% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on DAL. Argus set a $80.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on 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. Dbs Bank upgraded Delta Air Lines to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $77.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $78.43.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $66.13 on Tuesday. Delta Air Lines has a 52 week low of $35.46 and a 52 week high of $76.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The business had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,835,520.20. This represents a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Peter W. Carter sold 27,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.82, for a total value of $2,020,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 421,744 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,554,886.08. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 in the last three months. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,211,101 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,680,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012,265 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,163,644 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,607,557,000 after purchasing an additional 165,729 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,413,841 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,215,766,000 after purchasing an additional 202,865 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 137.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $958,538,000 after buying an additional 7,994,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,310,804 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $854,370,000 after buying an additional 56,455 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings rally and bullish commentary: DAL shares have rallied into the report after a string of positive takes (including coverage calling Delta a relative winner in the sector and praise from commentators), suggesting investor confidence in Delta’s operational resilience. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Stock Surges Ahead of Q1 Earnings Report This Wednesday
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue lift from ancillary fees: Delta is raising checked-bag fees by $10 for tickets sold starting this week, a direct near-term revenue boost that helps offset higher fuel costs. Delta raises checked bag fees $10 amid jet fuel price surge, joining other carriers
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target movement: Several outlets report analysts revising expectations and some upgrades/positive notes ahead of earnings, which supports the rally as investors expect resilient margins and steady earnings. Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp Delta Air Lines Expectations Ahead Of Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Expectations and options-driven volatility: Analysts forecast roughly $14.9B revenue and ~$0.58–0.62 EPS for Q1; options imply about a 7% post-earnings move, so traders are positioning for a wide reaction to the print and guidance. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Q1 Earnings Preview: Wall Street Braces for 7% Volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Surging jet-fuel costs tied to the Iran conflict are the biggest near-term downside risk — fuel is the top line-item pressure for margins and could force weaker guidance even if revenue holds. Market commentary flags this as the main swing factor for the quarter. Delta kicks off an earnings season focused on surging gas prices and the Iran war

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

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.