Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Shares Bought by Fifth Third Bancorp

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp increased its Delta Air Lines stake by 139.1% in the first quarter, ending with 170,874 shares worth about $11.36 million.
• Delta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.56 and revenue of $17.67 billion, both above analyst estimates. Revenue rose 18.7% year over year.
• Analysts remain largely positive on Delta, with several raising price targets and the stock now carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and average target price of about $100.40.

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 139.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 170,874 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 99,421 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $11,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 357,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $737,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 65,331 shares of company stock worth $5,036,638. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DAL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Argus set a $105.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday. Seaport Research Partners boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.40.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Delta to $112 and reiterated a buy rating, highlighting further upside after the airline’s strong quarterly performance.
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan also lifted its price target to $114 and kept an overweight rating, reflecting growing analyst confidence in Delta’s earnings outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports pointed to healthy travel demand, premium cabin strength, and resilient cash flow, suggesting Delta can keep growing revenue even in a higher-cost environment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Delta said cheaper jet fuel may not translate into lower airfares, implying pricing power could remain intact and margins may stay supported. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several coverage pieces framed Delta as a value or momentum stock trading at a reasonable valuation, but these are more confirmation than a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising geopolitical tensions in Iran were flagged as a potential headwind for airline stocks because they could pressure fuel prices and create turbulence for travel demand. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel costs remain a key risk, with Delta noting a sharp jump in fuel expense during the quarter, which could keep margin pressure in focus if energy prices rise again.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

DAL opened at $85.48 on Wednesday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $50.44 and a twelve month high of $95.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $81.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.76.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. Delta Air Lines's quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.215 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.26%.

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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