Howard Capital Management LLC Sells 85,107 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Howard Capital Management cut its Delta Air Lines stake by 95.8% in the third quarter, selling 85,107 shares and retaining 3,691 shares valued at approximately $308,000.
• Delta reported quarterly revenue of $17.59 billion, up 21.1% year over year, but earnings of $1.72 per share fell short of analysts’ $1.77 consensus estimate.
• Despite mixed results and some analyst downgrades, Wall Street’s overall view remains favorable: 22 analysts rate the stock a Buy, with an average price target of $99.65 versus its reported $75.38 share price.

Howard Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 95.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,691 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 85,107 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management LLC's holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DAL. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,685,000 after buying an additional 487 shares during the period. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 11.6% in the third quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 2,635 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 419.1% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 292,653 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $25,032,000 after acquiring an additional 236,271 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 86.3% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 119,299 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,957,000 after acquiring an additional 55,274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 5.2% during the third quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 2,934 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL stock opened at $75.38 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $82.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.25. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.03 and a 52 week high of $95.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $49.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.05). Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 16.83%. The business had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. The business's revenue was up 21.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.2150 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is currently 17.17%.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In other news, Director David G. Dewalt sold 31,756 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.85, for a total value of $2,885,032.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,031,224.30. This trade represents a 58.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Peter W. Carter sold 39,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total value of $3,709,902.00. Following the sale, the president owned 424,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,488,977.92. The trade was a 8.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 356,726 shares of company stock valued at $33,081,037 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DAL shares. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Delta Air Lines from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Zacks Research lowered Delta Air Lines from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Argus set a $95.00 price objective on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $99.65.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline that provides scheduled passenger and air freight transportation. The company serves destinations throughout the United States and connects customers to international markets across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean through its own operations and regional airline partners.

Delta offers multiple classes of passenger service, including premium cabins and its main cabin, along with travel-related products such as vacation packages and loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles program.

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