Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) CEO Edward Bastian Sells 100,000 Shares

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) CEO Edward Bastian sold 100,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total value of $7,026,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,363,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $95,795,856.48. This trade represents a 6.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE:DAL traded down $4.85 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $65.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,362,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,389,014. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.74 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39. 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 cap of $42.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $69.94 and its 200-day moving average is $63.91.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $80.47.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,955,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,652,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $454,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Delta Air Lines

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.