Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,690,000 shares, a growth of 9.9% from the March 15th total of 16,100,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DAL. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $59.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $58.29.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of DAL stock traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $46.65. 11,789,273 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,833,472. The company has a market cap of $30.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $43.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.46. Delta Air Lines has a 1-year low of $30.60 and a 1-year high of $49.81.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The transportation company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.09. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 41.89%. The business had revenue of $13.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 6.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. Delta Air Lines's payout ratio is 5.14%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In related news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 71,840 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.20, for a total transaction of $2,816,128.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 428,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,807,705.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.89% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 495.7% during the third quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 685 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the period. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 396.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo.