J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Acquires New Stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 55,559 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,856,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, SWAN Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% in the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $81.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $73.70 to $80.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Argus set a $80.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.80.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta signed a sweeping agreement to install Amazon’s Leo satellite internet on hundreds of aircraft (initial rollout of ~500 planes starting in 2028), which should improve passenger experience, enable more streaming/ancillary revenue and reduce reliance on legacy providers. Delta Air Lines taps Amazon Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi as streaming wars heat up
• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s SkyMiles was ranked the world’s most valuable airline loyalty program (estimated >$31B), supporting recurring, high‑margin revenue and customer retention — a structural competitive advantage. Delta’s SkyMiles Ranked World’s Most Valuable Airline Loyalty Program at $31 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus is favorable (average “Moderate Buy”), which supports investor confidence and likely contributes to buying interest. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: The Amazon tie-up is a multi‑year buildout (service begins 2028 for the initial tranche), so near‑term revenue and margin impact will be limited until installations scale across the fleet. Amazon Teams With Delta to Offer Passengers In-Flight Connectivity
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: the move places Delta with Amazon rather than SpaceX/Starlink, which could shift competitive dynamics in airline connectivity and factor into broader aerospace/IPO narratives. Delta picks Bezos over Musk for satellite Wi-Fi as SpaceX’s $1.75 trillion IPO looms
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and competitive risk: Starlink is already a dominant airline connectivity provider; swapping/adding providers, technical certification and rollout delays are possible and could limit the deal’s upside or delay revenue. Delta to Tap Amazon Satellite-Internet Service for In-Flight Wi-Fi
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headline risk: CEO comments blaming Congress over DHS funding and airport disruptions highlight potential near‑term operational costs and schedule risk if federal funding issues persist. ‘MESS’: Delta CEO rips Congress as shutdown chaos erupts at airports

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Peter W. Carter sold 27,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $31,554,886.08. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $2,896,930.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,835,520.20. This trade represents a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $66.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1-year low of $34.74 and a 1-year high of $76.39. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.42. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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. Research analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th were given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is currently 9.78%.

Delta Air Lines Profile

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.