102,273 Shares in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Purchased by L & S Advisors Inc

Key Points

• L & S Advisors Inc opened a new position in Delta Air Lines, buying 102,273 shares valued at about $7.1 million in the fourth quarter.
• Delta reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.64 versus $0.61 expected and revenue of $14.2 billion, up 9.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 per share, while analysts currently maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a target price of about $79.76.

L & S Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 102,273 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $7,098,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DAL. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 54.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,817,783 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $330,159,000 after acquiring an additional 2,058,744 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 23.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,661,911 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $434,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,058 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $71,693,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,495 shares during the period. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP now owns 2,284,257 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $129,632,000 after purchasing an additional 730,368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 24.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,791,581 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $158,422,000 after purchasing an additional 550,480 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $1,074,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,893,364.09. This trade represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $1,500,177.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,731,818.75. The trade was a 14.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 204,925 shares of company stock worth $14,323,395. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on DAL shares. Zacks Research raised Delta Air Lines from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Dbs Bank raised Delta Air Lines to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Delta Air Lines from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.76.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $70.28 on Friday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $45.28 and a one year high of $76.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $66.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.69.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The firm had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.93%.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway reported a new position in Delta Air Lines worth more than $2.6 billion, signaling strong institutional confidence in DAL and likely boosting sentiment around the stock. Berkshire Hathaway returns to airlines with $2.6 billion stake in Delta Air Lines
• Positive Sentiment: Investor reaction is also supported by reports that Citi remains bullish on Delta, reinforcing the view that DAL still has analyst support despite a choppy airline backdrop. Citi Remains a Buy on Delta Air Lines (DAL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is still trading in a volatile airline environment, with rising jet fuel prices pressuring carriers across the sector as they cut capacity, raise fares, and trim forecasts. Will Airline ETFs Shield Your Portfolio Against Rising Jet Fuel Prices?
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta also announced a 4% employee pay raise, which is positive for labor relations but adds to cost pressure at a time when the industry faces fuel and demand uncertainty. Delta gives workers 4% pay raise amid industry uncertainty
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate headlines about Delta’s choice of Amazon’s LEO internet service over Starlink, and Elon Musk’s criticism of that decision, are more of a corporate/branding story than a clear earnings catalyst for DAL. Delta won't use Starlink. Elon Musk is not happy.

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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