Brokerages Set Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Target Price at $80.38

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-two have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $80.3833.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. HSBC boosted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $73.70 to $80.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 173,230 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $12,299,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 632,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,930,433. This represents a 21.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erik Storey Snell sold 39,420 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total transaction of $2,799,608.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,530,087.50. This trade represents a 52.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 137.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $958,538,000 after purchasing an additional 7,994,004 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth $471,532,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 1,579.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,673,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $185,534,000 after buying an additional 2,514,193 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 44.3% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,155,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $426,441,000 after buying an additional 1,890,521 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,496,296 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $659,043,000 after buying an additional 1,834,385 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of DAL stock opened at $59.17 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $68.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.16. The firm has a market cap of $38.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines has a 1-year low of $34.74 and a 1-year 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.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The business had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. 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: Unusual bullish options activity — Traders bought roughly 94,764 Delta call options on Friday (about a 153% rise vs. typical call volume), which suggests some investors are positioning for an upside rebound or volatility-driven trading interest.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall‑street analyst stance remains supportive — Brokerages show an average “Buy” recommendation and recent price‑target coverage keeps upside (median target ~ $77), providing a valuation anchor for longer‑term investors. Delta Receives Average “Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive leadership reshuffle — Delta announced a broad C‑suite reorganization (CFO moving roles and other changes). Management moves can be positive if they improve execution but may create near‑term uncertainty until the new structure proves out. Delta reshuffles top ranks as CFO Janki moves to COO, Carter to president
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive/industry moves — Republic Airways’ debt‑free merger with Mesa expands regional capacity and partnership reach (including with Delta); this is more of an industry‑structure development than an immediate company blow. Republic Airways Debt Free Mesa Merger Tests Earnings And Valuation Story
• Negative Sentiment: Middle East conflict and route disruption — Delta suspended New York–Tel Aviv flights through at least March 22 and faces regional airspace disruptions. That directly pressures revenues on exposed routes and raises operational complexity. Delta Suspension Of Tel Aviv Flights Tests Margins And Growth Narrative
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil / jet‑fuel concerns and sector sell‑off — Higher crude pushed airline peers lower as investors price in higher fuel costs and margin pressure; Delta is trading down alongside the sector. Delta falls as oil prices climb
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline market weakness — Broader market slippage tied to the Iran war and a weak U.S. jobs report is weighing on cyclical and travel names, adding downward pressure on DAL. Stocks Slump on Iran War and Weak US Jobs Report

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.