Key Points
- EVP John Laughter sold 15,000 shares at an average price of $71.61 for a total of $1,074,150, reducing his stake by 21.62% to 54,369 shares; the transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing.
- Delta beat Q1 estimates, reporting $0.64 EPS versus a $0.61 consensus and $14.20 billion in revenue (up 9.4% YoY), and analysts have raised price targets with a MarketBeat consensus target of $79.26 (Moderate Buy).
- Delta declared a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 ($0.75 annualized) for a ~1.0% yield; the stock trades with a market cap of $47.29 billion and a PE ratio of 10.49.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) EVP John Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $1,074,150.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,893,364.09. This trade represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.
Delta Air Lines Stock Up 0.4%
DAL opened at $71.98 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.80 and a twelve month high of $76.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $66.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.13. The company has a market cap of $47.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.31.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The firm had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio is 10.93%.
More Delta Air Lines News
Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and price‑target increases: Jefferies raised its DAL target to $81 (buy) and other brokers have lifted targets after the April quarter beat, supporting upside expectations. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Strong demand and premium revenue mix: Delta’s Q1 commentary and the “Top 5 analyst questions” note emphasize broad‑based demand, strength in premium seating and loyalty products — factors that help margins and justify higher valuations. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Fuel relief / market rebound: Easing oil prices and a positive risk‑on tone helped extend Delta’s post‑earnings rally, reducing near‑term jet‑fuel cost pressure. That dynamic has contributed to recent share gains. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry consolidation chatter: Merger rumors between United and American are driving sector rotation; MarketBeat notes Delta may benefit as a standalone, but M&A talk primarily impacts peers and broader sector multiples. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Potential new ancillary revenue from connectivity: A reported Amazon Kuiper tie‑up for satellite in‑flight Wi‑Fi could add ancillary revenue if scaled, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP John Laughter disclosed multiple large share sales (most recently ~15,000 shares and previously ~69,304), which can spook investors despite routine explanations (liquidity/diversification). Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Scaling back sustainability targets: Bloomberg/MSN report that Delta trimmed sustainable aviation fuel and net‑zero ambitions — a reputational and regulatory risk that could draw scrutiny from ESG‑minded investors. Read More.
Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DAL. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 358,870 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $20,366,000 after purchasing an additional 25,507 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 87,344 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,957,000 after purchasing an additional 8,309 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 41.3% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 53,601 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,042,000 after purchasing an additional 15,661 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 457,796 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $25,980,000 after buying an additional 56,365 shares during the period. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,041,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
DAL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Seaport Research Partners increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.26.
Read Our Latest Research Report on DAL
About Delta Air Lines
(
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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