Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) CEO Sells $4,100,000.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Delta CEO Edward Bastian sold 50,000 shares at an average price of $82, generating $4.1 million; he retained 1,313,448 shares valued at approximately $107.7 million.
• Delta shares fell 1.9% to $80.07, while the company’s latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations, reporting $1.72 in EPS versus the $1.77 consensus and revenue of $17.59 billion.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.65; Delta also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.215 per share.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) CEO Edward Bastian sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.00, for a total value of $4,100,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,313,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $107,702,736. This represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock traded down $1.57 on Friday, reaching $80.07. 4,344,963 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,476,245. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $52.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $55.03 and a fifty-two week high of $95.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $80.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.66.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.64 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 16.83% and a net margin of 4.58%. Delta Air Lines's quarterly revenue was up 21.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. 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. On average, analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.34 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given 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 of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DAL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $101.00 price objective on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.65.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Markowski Investments acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Timbuktu Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 195.9% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 358 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Atlas Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company's stock.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company provides scheduled passenger air transportation to destinations across the United States and international markets, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. Delta operates through a network of hubs and focus cities, offering service under the Delta brand and through regional partners operating as Delta Connection.

In addition to passenger flights, Delta provides air cargo transportation and related logistics services.

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