Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Trims Stock Holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. trimmed its Delta stake by 59.3%, selling 23,314 shares and leaving 16,027 shares valued at $1.112 million at the end of the quarter.
• Delta's Q1 missed expectations—EPS $0.64 vs. $0.70 expected and revenue $14.20B vs. $14.70B expected—though revenue was up 9.4% year-over-year and analysts still show a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $78.43.
• There has been substantial trading activity: insiders sold about 620,550 shares (~$44.1M) in the last 90 days while institutional ownership remains high at approximately 69.9%, alongside a market cap of $44.5B and a P/E of 8.88.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. trimmed its holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 59.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,027 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 23,314 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $1,112,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Financial Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 794 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,493 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.2% in the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 5,871 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC now owns 8,593 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DAL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $77.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $76.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.43.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of DAL opened at $68.13 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.73. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.56 and a 1-year high of $76.39. The stock has a market cap of $44.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.06). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The business had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.21, for a total transaction of $2,491,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,625,542.51. This trade represents a 27.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total transaction of $4,388,215.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,939 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,469,499.02. The trade was a 74.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to the U.S.–Iran ceasefire pushed oil prices sharply lower, easing the airline cost outlook and lifting travel stocks including Delta. Equities Mark Best Finish in At Least 4 Weeks Following US-Iran Truce
• Positive Sentiment: Delta reported a solid Q1: revenues and adjusted EPS surprised investors (record top line cited by some outlets), showing resilient premium and loyalty demand — a principal reason shares advanced. Delta Air Lines Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates, Up Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are re‑clearing the decks: some firms trimmed price targets modestly (sector reassessments ahead of Q1) but many maintain Buy ratings — signaling mixed analyst views but not a consensus downgrade. Delta Air Lines At $76 PT, One Airline Is Standing Out From The Rest
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces highlight Delta’s structural advantages (Trainer refinery ownership, premium customer mix) that could support outperformance when oil normalizes — a longer‑term positive but not an immediate catalyst. The War Won't Last Forever: 3 Stocks That Could Lead the Recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Delta warned of materially higher fuel expense in coming quarters, has raised checked‑bag fees to offset rising jet fuel costs, and flagged that fuel remains the key margin risk — factors that could pressure near‑term profitability if oil rebounds. Facing Soaring Fuel Costs, Delta Tells Customers to Plan for Pricier Flights
• Negative Sentiment: Management said it will “meaningfully” reduce near‑term capacity growth and signaled a more cautious June‑quarter outlook, introducing uncertainty for revenue growth cadence despite strong Q1 results. Delta CEO says airline will 'meaningfully' cut growth plans, sees $300 million boost from its refinery

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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