Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 6.500-7.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 5.670. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Delta Air Lines also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.500 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $88.86 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $80.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The stock has a market cap of $58.38 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 10th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.55 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.Delta Air Lines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.500 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 5.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $79.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $737,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,552,904. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 80,331 shares of company stock valued at $6,110,788. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta beat second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, showing demand and pricing remain better than expected.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year profit guidance and issued a stronger third-quarter outlook, reducing concern that fares will weaken as fuel costs ease.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its dividend and continued paying down debt, which may appeal to income-focused and long-term investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s new “basic business” fare options could help broaden premium-cabin demand, but the longer-term revenue impact is still unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent airline stocks have also faced pressure from higher oil prices and geopolitical tension, which can raise fuel-cost worries for DAL.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 137.4% in 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 last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 44.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth $124,444,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $71,693,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,495 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 4,084,386 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $283,456,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055,980 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.