South Dakota Investment Council Grows Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

South Dakota Investment Council grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 5.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 119,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,322 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $7,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 137.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $471,532,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 29.2% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,270,241 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $815,726,000 after acquiring an additional 2,773,945 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,579.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,673,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $185,534,000 after acquiring an additional 2,514,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,155,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $426,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,890,521 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,574,466. The trade was a 3.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL opened at $88.70 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $85.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.29. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.44 and a 52-week high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DAL shares. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on 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. Barclays upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.40.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst fair-value estimates moved materially higher. Following Delta’s second-quarter results and management commentary, one estimate rose from $81.81 to $105.52. Analysts cited earnings execution, margins, and growth in premium and loyalty revenue as reasons for the improved outlook. Delta Air Lines Stock Gets Fair Value Boost After Q2 Spurs Analyst Target Hikes
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains supportive. Coverage highlights Delta’s outperformance over the broader market and generally optimistic analyst views. The company’s latest quarterly results also exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $1.56 per share versus a $1.49 consensus estimate and revenue of $17.67 billion versus $17.43 billion expected. Do Wall Street Analysts Like Delta Air Lines Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is benefiting from a less-cyclical revenue mix. Commentary contrasts Delta’s valuation with GE Aerospace’s premium and argues that premium cabins, loyalty programs and other diversified revenue streams make Delta less dependent on main-cabin ticket demand than in the past. Delta’s Profits vs. GE’s Premiums
• Neutral Sentiment: A new DraftKings partnership adds engagement but is not expected to materially change near-term earnings. Delta will offer SkyPicks, a free sports-knowledge contest available through Delta Sync Wi-Fi. Passengers can compete for Delta gift cards without wagering or depositing money, potentially enhancing the in-flight experience and customer engagement. Delta and DraftKings Add Sports Contests to In-Flight Entertainment
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor attention is amplifying visibility rather than providing a new fundamental catalyst. Recent coverage focuses on Delta’s relative transportation-sector performance, broker recommendations and its status as a widely followed stock. Are Transportation Stocks Lagging Delta Air Lines

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.