Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $72.34 and last traded at $71.9280, with a volume of 1989230 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $69.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on DAL. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, December 19th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $87.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.07.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 4.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $47.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $64.16 and its 200-day moving average is $59.35.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 15th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 23.83% and a net margin of 7.36%.The business had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP William C. Carroll sold 14,010 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.25, for a total value of $858,112.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $968,730. This represents a 46.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total transaction of $1,453,722.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 81,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,055,523.97. This trade represents a 22.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Financial Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,493 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 5,871 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% in the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,844 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,237 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.