Q1 EPS Estimates for Delta Air Lines Cut by Zacks Research

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) - Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Delta Air Lines in a report released on Wednesday, April 30th. Zacks Research analyst M. Basu now forecasts that the transportation company will earn $1.14 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.21. The consensus estimate for Delta Air Lines' current full-year earnings is $7.63 per share.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 9th. The transportation company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.38). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 30.41% and a net margin of 5.61%. The firm had revenue of $12.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on DAL. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (down previously from $85.00) on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays cut their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Delta Air Lines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group downgraded Delta Air Lines from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.06.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE DAL traded up $1.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $45.49. 18,726,599 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,270,820. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $29.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.46. Delta Air Lines has a 12-month low of $34.74 and a 12-month high of $69.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.29 and a 200 day moving average of $56.70.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is 10.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 38,023 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.89, for a total value of $2,467,312.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 52,789 shares in the company, valued at $3,425,478.21. The trade was a 41.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hemington Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 48.1% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 474 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 414.4% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 535 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo.