Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) issued an update on its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.000-1.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.090. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $17.9 billion.
Delta Air Lines Price Performance
Shares of DAL stock traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $68.26. 5,121,485 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,241,708. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $66.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.73. Delta Air Lines has a fifty-two week low of $38.66 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.70 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.
Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.78%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on DAL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research reduced their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $79.05.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Delta Air Lines
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at $7,835,520.20. This represents a 26.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total value of $4,388,215.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,939 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,469,499.02. The trade was a 74.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.88% 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: Several brokerages raised targets/ratings this morning (TD Cowen to $84/buy; Raymond James to $80/strong‑buy; Argus to $85/buy; Citi to $79/buy), signaling analyst conviction in DAL’s recovery and upside potential. Raymond James PT Raise
- Positive Sentiment: Quarterly revenue came in ahead of expectations (record top line) and management flagged a roughly $300M refinery benefit to Q2 — supporting margins if fuel eases. Delta Q1 Results
- Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity (large buy volume) suggests short-term bullish speculative interest that can amplify upside if positive catalysts continue. Options Activity
- Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary emphasizes Delta’s premium positioning and resilient higher‑spend customers — a structural plus for yield per seat but not immune to fuel shocks. CEO Premium Customers
- Neutral Sentiment: Geopolitical developments (Iran ceasefire reports) have driven volatile oil moves; a sustained decline would help Delta but uncertainty remains near term. Ceasefire/Market Reaction
- Negative Sentiment: Management trimmed near‑term growth plans and warned Q2 profit would be lower than Street hopes because of a multi‑billion dollar fuel shock — the primary driver of today’s downward pressure. Capacity Cuts & Guidance
- Negative Sentiment: Delta has raised checked-bag fees and signaled capacity reductions to limit fuel-driven margin erosion — defensive moves that highlight margin risk and could dent demand if prices stay elevated. Baggage Fee Hike
- Negative Sentiment: Earnings readouts are mixed depending on GAAP vs adjusted measures (some outlets note GAAP loss or softer profit guidance), leaving uncertainty about near-term profitability despite revenue strength. Earnings Details
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DAL. Brighton Jones LLC grew 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 purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter worth $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew 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. grew 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. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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