Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Given New $85.00 Price Target at Argus

Key Points

• Argus raised its price target on Delta Air Lines to $85 (from $80) and maintained a "buy" rating, implying about a 25% upside from the prior close.
• Delta reported Q1 EPS of $0.64 (missing estimates of $0.70) and revenue of $14.2B (below consensus), but revenue was up 9.4% YoY and management expects roughly a $300M refinery benefit to help Q2 profit.
• Analyst views are mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $78.85, while insiders have sold sizable stakes recently (CEO and EVP sales), with insiders owning 0.88% of shares.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by research analysts at Argus from $80.00 to $85.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. Argus' price objective would suggest a potential upside of 25.29% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Seaport Research Partners lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $76.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.85.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE DAL opened at $67.84 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $44.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.87, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Delta Air Lines has a 12-month low of $38.66 and a 12-month high of $76.39.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.06). Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.21, for a total value of $2,491,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,625,542.51. The trade was a 27.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 173,230 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $12,299,330.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 632,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,930,433. The trade was a 21.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,652,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $454,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company's stock.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and management commentary showed resilience — Delta reported adjusted Q1 EPS of $0.64 and strong revenue/operational metrics, and the earnings call highlighted demand strength and margin actions that convinced investors the beat is sustainable. Delta Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical relief pushed oil down — a U.S.-Iran ceasefire reduced near‑term oil risk, lifting airline sentiment and improving Delta’s fuel outlook (short‑term tailwind to margins). Airline Stocks Jump on Ceasefire
• Positive Sentiment: Refinery ownership is turning into a cash edge — Delta expects roughly a $300M refinery benefit to help Q2 profit, which differentiates it from peers facing raw fuel inflation. DAL sees $300M refinery benefit
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed — Wolfe Research trimmed its price target to $73 but kept an Outperform rating, signaling continued analyst support despite a more cautious view on upside. Wolfe Research Lowers Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity — large volumes of call buying suggest speculative bullish interest that can amplify intraday moves but also raises short‑term volatility risk. Unusually High Options Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel spike forces strategic pullbacks — management said it will meaningfully cut planned capacity growth and flagged a multi‑billion dollar increase in fuel expense at the forward curve, which pressures near‑term margins and guidance. Delta hits brakes on growth plans
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue actions could hurt demand perception — Delta raised checked-bag fees to help offset higher jet fuel; this improves yields but could dampen PR and price‑sensitive demand if fuel concerns persist. Delta Baggage Fee Hike Highlights Fuel Shock

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.

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