Insider Selling: Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP Sells 17,768 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Delta EVP Steven Sear sold 17,768 shares for about $1.58 million, reducing his stake by 17.02% to 86,636 shares.
• Delta’s latest quarterly results fell slightly short of analyst estimates: EPS was $1.72 versus $1.77 expected, and revenue was $17.59 billion versus $17.64 billion expected. Revenue nevertheless grew 21.1% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $99.65; 22 analysts rate the stock Buy, one Hold, and one Sell.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) EVP Steven Sear sold 17,768 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.95, for a total value of $1,580,463.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 86,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,706,272.20. This trade represents a 17.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $86.09. 5,188,441 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,394,009. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.43. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.27 and a 1-year high of $95.68. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $81.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $17.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.71 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th were given a dividend of $0.2150 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 15th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on DAL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $101.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.65.

Key Delta Air Lines News

Here's some of the latest news about DAL:

• Positive Sentiment: CFRA turned bullish on Delta, a favorable analyst view that could bolster investor confidence. CFRA turns bullish on Delta Air Lines
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday travel demand is holding strong, supporting Delta’s revenue outlook, although the company is also evaluating how AI-powered fare-shopping agents could affect ticket sales and customer-data protection. Delta CEO discusses holiday demand and AI fare-shopping agents
• Negative Sentiment: Renewed oil-price and interest-rate pressure is reviving concerns about airline margins and operating costs. A separate market report also noted bearish options positioning in DAL, adding to cautious sentiment. Higher oil and rate pressure reignite margin concerns Airline stocks drawing unusual options volume

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the second quarter worth about $28,829,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 646.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 45,161 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,207,000 after buying an additional 39,112 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 45.1% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 449,986 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $42,146,000 after buying an additional 139,799 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 105.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 39,018 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,595,000 after acquiring an additional 20,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 102.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 105,966 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,045,000 after acquiring an additional 53,581 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company's stock.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is a U.S.-based airline that provides passenger and cargo transportation. It serves domestic and international destinations through its own flights and relationships with partner airlines, with major hubs including Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, New York, and Salt Lake City. The company offers multiple cabin and fare options, including Delta One, First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. Its other businesses and services include Delta Cargo, the SkyMiles loyalty program, and aircraft maintenance and repair services through Delta TechOps.

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