Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) President Peter Carter Sells 39,900 Shares of Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) President Peter Carter sold 39,900 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $3,709,902.00. Following the transaction, the president owned 424,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,488,977.92. The trade was a 8.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL opened at $93.13 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $86.10 and a 200-day moving average of $74.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.44, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.31. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.88 and a 12-month high of $95.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. 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 14.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Crude oil prices fell for a second consecutive session, potentially lowering jet-fuel expenses and improving Delta’s profit margins if the decline persists. Lower energy costs could also ease inflationary pressure and support travel demand. Oil Just Lost its Inflation Premium: Here’s Who Wins if Prices Stay Low
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted DAL as a strong momentum stock, reflecting its recent price performance and improving investor interest. Momentum support may attract additional buying, although it does not by itself establish a change in Delta’s fundamentals. Here’s Why Delta Air Lines Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: A commentary article presents a contrarian view that higher fuel costs could potentially create benefits for Delta under certain industry or pricing conditions. However, the thesis is less immediately favorable than falling fuel prices and highlights uncertainty around fuel-cost exposure. Delta Air Lines: Higher Fuel Costs Might Produce Surprising Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby’s reported merger approaches to Delta and American were rejected. Avoiding a major merger may limit near-term industry disruption for Delta, though United’s focus on fleet innovation could increase competitive pressure over time. Rejected but Not Retreating: United’s Future Lies in Fleet Innovation, Not M&A

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 107,173 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,438,000 after buying an additional 19,829 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 53.2% in the 4th quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 92,142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,395,000 after buying an additional 32,014 shares during the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,563.4% in the 4th quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 466,797 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,396,000 after buying an additional 438,735 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 154.8% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 192,384 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,351,000 after acquiring an additional 116,891 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 720,421 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,997,000 after acquiring an additional 17,316 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

About Delta Air Lines

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.