M&T Bank Corp Raises Stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• M&T Bank increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 52.9% in Q4, buying 22,737 shares to hold 65,745 shares valued at $4,563,000, while hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own about 69.93% of DAL.
• Delta beat Q1 estimates with $0.64 EPS vs $0.61 and $14.20 billion revenue (up 9.4% YoY), and has a MarketBeat consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of $79.10.
• Delta declared a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 per share (annualized $0.75, ~1.0% yield; ex-dividend May 14), while insiders sold a total of 285,116 shares (about $20,388,230) last quarter, leaving insider ownership at 0.8%.

M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 52.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,745 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 22,737 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $4,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 23.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,661,911 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $434,813,000 after buying an additional 1,447,058 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 54.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,817,783 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $330,159,000 after acquiring an additional 2,058,744 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.3% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,447,917 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $195,669,000 after acquiring an additional 42,878 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 24.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,791,581 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $158,422,000 after acquiring an additional 550,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.8% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,655,412 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $150,735,000 after acquiring an additional 47,631 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on DAL. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Delta Air Lines from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. HSBC decreased their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Dbs Bank raised shares of Delta Air Lines to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.10.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of DAL stock opened at $73.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $48.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $44.78 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $66.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.20.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. Delta Air Lines's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.3 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is 10.93%.

Insider Activity

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 69,304 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.15, for a total transaction of $4,723,067.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,727,497.35. The trade was a 49.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total transaction of $2,647,942.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,390,835.20. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 285,116 shares of company stock valued at $20,388,230 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: JD Power finds airlines are delivering a strong passenger experience, supporting demand and pricing power for carriers like Delta. Airlines Deliver Strong Passenger Experience, Despite Industry Challenges, JD Power Finds
• Positive Sentiment: Allegiant (ALGT) reported Q1 EPS and revenue above estimates and improved load factors, a sign that leisure demand remains healthy across low‑cost and regional routes — a positive signal for sector revenue trends that can help Delta. Allegiant Q1 Earnings & Revenues Surpass Estimates, Improve Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Expeditors (EXPD) beat Q1 estimates thanks to stronger airfreight tonnage and margin resilience, suggesting cargo demand remains a supporting revenue stream for airlines and ground service partners. EXPD Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates on Airfreight Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis of Spirit’s collapse underscores airline industry cyclicality and thin margins in 2026 — a reminder of downside risk if costs or demand swing, but not a Delta-specific near-term driver. Who Really Killed Spirit Airlines: Is President Biden or Trump More Responsible?
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. government data show airlines’ jet‑fuel spending jumped ~56% month‑over‑month after the Iran conflict began and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed — a large near-term cost shock that pressures margins industry‑wide, including Delta. Airlines spent 56.4% more on jet fuel in month after Iran war started, U.S. government says
• Negative Sentiment: Airlines have removed tens of thousands of summer flights as jet‑fuel costs surge; large schedule cuts (notably at Spirit and United) point to capacity pullbacks that could reduce industry revenue and signal higher unit costs. These airlines have cut the most flights this summer as jet fuel prices skyrocket
• Negative Sentiment: Delta is cutting complimentary snacks and drinks on many short flights and has canceled some flights amid crew/scheduling shifts — actions that reduce costs but may hurt customer perception and could indicate operational strain. Delta cuts snacks and drinks from hundreds of daily flights as social media gripes over barebones air travel

Delta Air Lines 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.