Allison Ausband Sells 9,710 Shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) EVP Allison Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $737,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 138,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,552,904. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $81.66 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $53.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $83.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.72.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on DAL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. 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 research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.89.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen and UBS both raised their price targets on Delta, reinforcing confidence that the airline’s earnings outlook and valuation can improve. Delta (DAL) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
• Positive Sentiment: UBS lifted its target to $98 and kept a buy rating, citing a more constructive sector outlook; other recent analyst notes also leaned positive for airline profits and stock performance. Why Some Experts Say Airline Profits—and Stocks—Are About To Take Off
• Positive Sentiment: Falling oil prices are easing jet-fuel cost pressure across the airline group, which is helping airline stocks rally broadly. Airline stocks rally as oil retreat eases fuel cost pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s executive vice president Allison Ausband disclosed recent stock sales. Insider selling can create some caution, but the transactions were relatively modest compared with Delta’s market value. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP Allison Ausband Sells 5,000 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is also working to improve operations after a rise in flight cancellations, which could matter for summer travel demand, but this is more of an execution issue than an immediate catalyst. Delta’s Flight Cancellations Have Mounted, and It’s Staffing Up to Improve

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DAL. AlphaQuest LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% in the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines Company 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.