Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Acquires 283,393 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its Delta Air Lines stake by 455.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 345,596 shares valued at about $24 million.
• Delta continues to attract major institutional interest, with firms like Wellington Management, Bank of New York Mellon, and Marshall Wace also significantly boosting their holdings; overall, 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutions.
• Delta’s latest results were solid: it beat earnings and revenue estimates, raised its profile with a quarterly dividend, and analysts remain broadly positive with a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $79.76.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 455.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 345,596 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 283,393 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.05% of Delta Air Lines worth $23,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 2,058,744 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 23.3% in 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. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $71,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,495 shares in the last quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 47.0% during the third quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP now owns 2,284,257 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $129,632,000 after purchasing an additional 730,368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 24.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,791,581 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $158,422,000 after purchasing an additional 550,480 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new 39.8 million-share Delta stake, a major endorsement that has boosted sentiment around DAL’s premium revenue and loyalty-driven business model.
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on Delta Air Lines, signaling improved analyst confidence in the carrier’s earnings and strategic positioning. Bernstein Raised PT on Delta Air Lines (DAL), Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding Europe flights, including added service to Madrid and Munich, to capture event-driven travel demand and support higher-yield premium bookings. Delta Expands Europe Flights to Capture Event-Driven Travel Demand
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ed Bastian defended Delta’s choice of Amazon Leo over Starlink, citing a much lower price point and other benefits, which may help keep technology costs in check. Delta CEO stands by his decision to choose Amazon over Elon Musk's Starlink for one main reason
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s CEO said the airline will prioritize global expansion over domestic tie-ups, indicating a focus on organic growth rather than near-term merger activity. Delta CEO Ed Bastian Says Airline Will Prioritize Global Expansion Over Domestic Tie-Ups Despite Trump's Merger-Friendly Policies
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces noted Delta as a stock to watch following Berkshire’s investment, but these were largely reiterations of the same ownership news rather than new operational developments. Berkshire’s New Delta Stake Highlights Premium And Loyalty Focus Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term profit-taking has also appeared after the Berkshire-related rally, suggesting some traders are fading the move despite the improved longer-term story.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 3.5%

DAL stock opened at $67.77 on Wednesday. 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 twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $76.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $67.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.89.

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 for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is 10.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DAL. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Seaport Research Partners upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 69,304 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 owned 69,369 shares in the company, valued at $4,727,497.35. The trade was a 49.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $7,026,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. The trade was a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 204,925 shares of company stock worth $14,323,395 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

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.

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