Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Invests $1.04 Million in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden, the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund, disclosed a new position in Delta Air Lines during Q1, buying 15,650 shares valued at about $1.04 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive on DAL, with analysts issuing a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $93.60; several firms recently raised their targets, including Bank of America to $100.
• Delta has also shown solid operating and shareholder-return momentum, posting Q1 EPS of $0.64 and raising its quarterly dividend to $0.215 per share, while insider selling has continued in recent months.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 15,650 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,040,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 451.6% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 524 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DAL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC decreased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Seaport Research Partners upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.60.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target on Delta Air Lines to $108 from $78 and maintained a positive rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Susquehanna Raises Delta Air Lines Price Target to $108
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also lifted its target to $115 from $105 and kept an overweight rating, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in Delta’s earnings and travel demand outlook. Morgan Stanley Raises Delta Air Lines Price Target to $115
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is heading into Q2 earnings with bullish commentary around a potentially strong summer travel season, which could become a near-term catalyst if results and guidance beat expectations. Delta Air Lines Is About to Report Q2 Earnings. Here's Why This Could Be Its Biggest Summer Yet.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta was added to the Russell 1000, which can improve index visibility and passive fund ownership, but is usually a modest longer-term factor rather than an immediate earnings driver. What Does Russell 1000 Inclusion Mean for Delta Air Lines
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market strength and a calmer economic backdrop may be supporting airline shares, but that effect is not specific to Delta. Review & Preview: Monday Mojo
• Negative Sentiment: Some traders are taking profits after Delta’s strong run, and one report said the stock slipped premarket as Wall Street’s optimism faced a reality check ahead of earnings. DAL Stock Slips Premarket: Delta Airlines' Rally Faces Wall Street Reality Check Ahead Of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Despite lower jet-fuel prices, airlines are not cutting fares much, suggesting pricing remains competitive and limiting the margin benefit investors might have expected. Jet-Fuel Prices Have Plunged but Aren't Resulting in Much Lower Fares

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $91.70 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $78.99 and a 200-day moving average of $71.91. The company has a market capitalization of $60.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.29. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.19 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total value of $395,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,574,466. The trade was a 3.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at $7,738,836. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 149,635 shares of company stock valued at $10,833,855 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DAL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.