Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Acquires 106,262 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Fidelis Capital Partners significantly increased its Delta Air Lines stake in the fourth quarter, boosting holdings by 589.9% to 124,276 shares worth about $8.6 million.
• Delta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.64 beating estimates and revenue of $14.2 billion topping expectations, while revenue rose 9.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain bullish on DAL, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying an average rating of Moderate Buy; Delta also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 per share.

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 589.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,276 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 106,262 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $8,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,893,364.09. This represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 119,635 shares of company stock worth $8,402,855 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DAL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus upped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Seaport Research Partners lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $79.89.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $81.66 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25. The company's 50-day moving average is $69.43 and its 200 day moving average is $67.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

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

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

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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