Key Points
- Insider sale: EVP Peter Carter sold 27,000 shares on Feb. 6 at an average of $74.82 for proceeds of $2.02M, cutting his stake by 6.02% to 421,744 shares (≈$31.55M).
- Results & guidance: Delta reported Q4 EPS of $1.55 (beat by $0.02) but revenue missed at $14.61B vs. $15.80B; management set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $0.50–0.90 and FY 2026 guidance of $6.50–$7.50, with analysts’ consensus near 7.63 and a prevailing "Buy" view.
- Dividend declared: Delta announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 per share (annualized $0.75, ~1.0% yield), with an ex-dividend date of Feb. 26 and payment on Mar. 19.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) insider Peter Carter sold 27,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.82, for a total transaction of $2,020,140.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 421,744 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,554,886.08. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Delta Air Lines Stock Performance
NYSE:DAL opened at $74.49 on Wednesday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.74 and a 12 month high of $75.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.37. The business's fifty day moving average price is $69.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.71.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.99% and a net margin of 7.90%.The business had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.78%.
Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines
Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:
- Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat highlights Delta as a top travel play for 2026 — citing a Q4 EPS beat, a record ~$4.6B free cash balance and management’s guidance implying ~20% EPS growth driven by premium/corporate travel tailwinds. 3 Stocks to Play the Summer Travel Boom as Demand Surges Again
- Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~19.8% in late January (to ~15.9M shares), reducing a near‑term bearish crowd and lowering short‑squeeze risk; that technical change is supportive of the stock.
- Positive Sentiment: Competitor weakness: unions publicly criticizing American Airlines for lagging performance reinforces Delta’s relative operating strength and competitive positioning. Pilots and Flight Attendants Criticize American Airlines’ Performance
- Positive Sentiment: Broker consensus remains upbeat — a recent roundup shows brokerages with a consensus "Buy" view on DAL, supporting longer‑term investor conviction. Delta Air Lines, Inc. Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages
- Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage asking whether DAL is a buy (Yahoo Finance piece) reflects debate between strong fundamentals and recent run‑up; useful reading but not a decisive catalyst by itself. Is It Time To Consider Buying Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)?
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: multiple senior executives (including EVPs Alain Bellemare, Steven Sear and Peter Carter) sold large blocks in early February (~100k+ shares across filings), totaling several million dollars — a near‑term negative that can prompt profit‑taking after the stock’s run. SEC filings and coverage available. SEC Filing (Alain Bellemare) Insider Selling: DAL EVP Sells
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently commented on DAL shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $87.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.47.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DAL
Delta Air Lines Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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