Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price

Posted by Stacy Sanders on Mar 14th, 2026

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL – Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $84.00 to $72.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 22.48% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on Delta Air Lines from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $87.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.43.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL stock opened at $58.79 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines has a 52 week low of $34.74 and a 52 week high of $76.39. The company has a market capitalization of $38.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.66, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, insider Peter W. Carter sold 27,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 421,744 shares in the company, valued at $31,554,886.08. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total value of $2,647,942.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 138,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,390,835.20. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DAL. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

More Delta Air Lines News

Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:

Positive Sentiment: Jefferies cut its price target to $72 but retained a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst conviction in Delta’s longer‑term recovery and implying upside from current levels. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Given New $72.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group
Positive Sentiment: Citi put Delta on a 30‑day “positive catalyst watch,” highlighting potential near‑term bullish catalysts (refinery edge, trans‑Atlantic demand) that could support the stock. Citi Research puts Delta and SkyWest on 30‑day positive catalyst watch
Positive Sentiment: Industry reporting notes that credit‑card partnerships and upfront cash from co‑branded cards are reshaping airline loyalty economics and improving non‑fare profit streams — a tailwind for Delta’s margins and cash flow. Credit‑card cash reshapes US airline loyalty — and profit
Neutral Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn trimmed its price target to $70 but kept a Buy rating, reflecting mixed views: confidence in Delta’s fundamentals but recognition of near‑term capacity and margin pressure. Rothschild & Co Redburn Lowers Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) Price Target to $70
Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage weighing valuation: some outlets argue the pullback makes DAL attractive versus historic ranges, while others flag the stock’s YTD weakness — a reminder that consensus upside still coexists with risk. Is Delta Air Lines Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?
Negative Sentiment: Delta extended a pause on New York–Tel Aviv flights through month‑end amid regional volatility, reducing international capacity and near‑term revenue on that route. Delta extends pause on New York‑Tel Aviv flights through month‑end
Negative Sentiment: Oil has surged toward $100/barrel, prompting sectorwide downdrafts as fuel costs and perceived travel risk rise — a primary immediate headwind for airline margins and stock performance. Airline Stocks Were Pricing 2026 Like A Runway—Oil Just Made It A Cliff Edge
Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded Delta to a “Hold,” adding to mixed sell‑side signals and increasing short‑term sentiment pressure. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Cut to “Hold” at TD Cowen

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.