Delta Air Lines (DAL) Competitors

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) and American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) are both transportation companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, media sentiment and institutional ownership.

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in DAL or AAL?

69.9% of Delta Air Lines shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.4% of American Airlines Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Delta Air Lines shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of American Airlines Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor DAL or AAL?

In the previous week, Delta Air Lines had 12 more articles in the media than American Airlines Group. MarketBeat recorded 23 mentions for Delta Air Lines and 11 mentions for American Airlines Group. American Airlines Group's average media sentiment score of 1.44 beat Delta Air Lines' score of 1.35 indicating that American Airlines Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Delta Air Lines	17 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
American Airlines Group	8 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, DAL or AAL?

Delta Air Lines has higher revenue and earnings than American Airlines Group. Delta Air Lines is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Airlines Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Delta Air Lines	$61.64B	0.61	$3.46B	$6.90	8.40
American Airlines Group	$54.21B	0.16	$846M	$0.80	15.93

Do analysts prefer DAL or AAL?

Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus price target of $66.21, indicating a potential upside of 14.24%. American Airlines Group has a consensus price target of $16.76, indicating a potential upside of 31.56%. Given American Airlines Group's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe American Airlines Group is more favorable than Delta Air Lines.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Delta Air Lines	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
American Airlines Group	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.63

Which has more volatility and risk, DAL or AAL?

Delta Air Lines has a beta of 1.56, meaning that its share price is 56% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Airlines Group has a beta of 1.43, meaning that its share price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is DAL or AAL more profitable?

Delta Air Lines has a net margin of 7.24% compared to American Airlines Group's net margin of 1.05%. Delta Air Lines' return on equity of 24.86% beat American Airlines Group's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Delta Air Lines	7.24%	24.86%	5.01%
American Airlines Group	1.05%	-24.55%	1.68%

Summary

Delta Air Lines beats American Airlines Group on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.