Constant Guidance Financial LLC Buys New Stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Constant Guidance Financial LLC disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Delta Air Lines, buying 19,872 shares worth about $1.38 million. The position makes DAL about 0.9% of its portfolio.
• Institutional interest in Delta remains strong, with several other funds recently adding shares and 69.93% of the stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Analysts are broadly positive on Delta: the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $79.89, while recent updates from Sanford C. Bernstein, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Susquehanna were mixed but mostly constructive.

Constant Guidance Financial LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 19,872 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,379,000. Delta Air Lines accounts for about 0.9% of Constant Guidance Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% in the 3rd quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut Delta Air Lines from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.89.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen and UBS both raised their price targets on Delta, reinforcing confidence that the airline’s earnings outlook and valuation can improve. Delta (DAL) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
• Positive Sentiment: UBS lifted its target to $98 and kept a buy rating, citing a more constructive sector outlook; other recent analyst notes also leaned positive for airline profits and stock performance. Why Some Experts Say Airline Profits—and Stocks—Are About To Take Off
• Positive Sentiment: Falling oil prices are easing jet-fuel cost pressure across the airline group, which is helping airline stocks rally broadly. Airline stocks rally as oil retreat eases fuel cost pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s executive vice president Allison Ausband disclosed recent stock sales. Insider selling can create some caution, but the transactions were relatively modest compared with Delta’s market value. Delta Air Lines NYSE: DAL EVP Allison Ausband Sells 5,000 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is also working to improve operations after a rise in flight cancellations, which could matter for summer travel demand, but this is more of an execution issue than an immediate catalyst. Delta's Flight Cancellations Have Mounted, and It's Staffing Up to Improve

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

DAL opened at $81.66 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $53.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.72. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.28 and a fifty-two week high of $83.76.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The company's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.93%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total transaction of $1,500,177.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,731,818.75. This trade represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,893,364.09. This trade represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 119,635 shares of company stock valued at $8,402,855 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Delta Air Lines

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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