Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.000-2.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.860. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.3 billion. Delta Air Lines also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.500-7.500 EPS.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Delta Air Lines from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.60.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DAL
Delta Air Lines Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $88.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $58.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $80.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.43. 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 12 month low of $50.44 and a 12 month high of $95.68.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 10th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The business had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.55 billion. Delta Air Lines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 5.72 EPS for the current year.
Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is 10.93%.
Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines
In related news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,364.09. The trade was a 21.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 80,331 shares of company stock worth $6,110,788 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.
Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines
Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Delta beat second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, showing demand and pricing remain better than expected.
- Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year profit guidance and issued a stronger third-quarter outlook, reducing concern that fares will weaken as fuel costs ease.
- Positive Sentiment: The company raised its dividend and continued paying down debt, which may appeal to income-focused and long-term investors.
- Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s new “basic business” fare options could help broaden premium-cabin demand, but the longer-term revenue impact is still unclear.
- Negative Sentiment: Recent airline stocks have also faced pressure from higher oil prices and geopolitical tension, which can raise fuel-cost worries for DAL.
Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SWAN Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the 3rd quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About Delta Air Lines
(
Get Free Report)
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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