Morgan Stanley Boosts Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Price Target to $105.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Delta Air Lines’ price target from $90 to $105 and maintained an overweight rating, implying about 31.8% upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts are also generally constructive on DAL, with multiple firms lifting targets; the stock now has a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $80.85.
• Delta recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, earning $0.64 per share on $14.20 billion in revenue, while insiders have been selling shares and the stock was trading near $79.64, close to its 52-week high.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $105.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would indicate a potential upside of 31.84% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on DAL. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Argus boosted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised Delta Air Lines from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.85.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL stock traded down $2.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $79.64. 527,499 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,202,153. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $70.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.30. Delta Air Lines has a 12-month low of $45.28 and a 12-month high of $83.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines will post 5.37 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $737,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at $7,738,836. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 149,635 shares of company stock worth $10,833,855. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DAL. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Delta Air Lines Company 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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