Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Stock Holdings Decreased by Forsta AP Fonden

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden has reduced its stake in Delta Air Lines by 16.8%, now holding 40,100 shares worth approximately $1.75 million.
• Delta Air Lines will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.1875, up from the previous $0.15, reflecting a 1.3% dividend yield.
• Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Delta Air Lines, with several upgrading price targets, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.21.

Forsta AP Fonden decreased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 16.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,100 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 8,100 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $1,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 414.4% during the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 535 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 584 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Susquehanna set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $56.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, HSBC raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $64.00 to $69.20 in a report on Friday, July 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.21.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock traded up $1.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $60.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,821,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,508,247. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $52.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.38. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $69.98. The stock has a market cap of $39.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.56.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $15,507,000 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.16 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.24% and a return on equity of 24.86%. Delta Air Lines's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.36 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio is 10.87%.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.28, for a total transaction of $1,969,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 632,823 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,615,278.44. This trade represents a 5.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Peter W. Carter sold 17,550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.19, for a total transaction of $1,003,684.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 191,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,948,567.98. The trade was a 8.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 133,973 shares of company stock worth $7,511,746 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo.