Sterling Capital Management LLC Acquires 11,943 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 63.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,705 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,943 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $2,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DAL. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the second quarter worth about $1,182,646,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 50.9% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,033,595 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $268,153,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360,195 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $160,265,000. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,469,652 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $97,702,000 after acquiring an additional 191,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, U S Global Investors Inc. raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 1,099,975 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $91,804,000 after acquiring an additional 24,962 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. airlines are favoring higher fares rather than adding capacity to fill more seats, a strategy that could help Delta offset elevated fuel expenses and protect margins. Reuters airline fares and fuel costs article
• Positive Sentiment: Airline shares received a temporary boost after Southwest reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter results, supporting the view that resilient demand and pricing remain favorable for Delta. Southwest third-quarter results article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to present Delta as attractive for contrarian investors but more appropriate as a hold for risk-averse investors, reflecting confidence in the long-term recovery alongside near-term industry risks. Delta contrarian investment analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Crude oil climbed above $102 per barrel to a five-week high, increasing fuel-cost concerns across airlines and pressuring Delta’s expected profitability. Why Delta stock is falling article
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil prices are weighing on the entire airline sector, with investors reassessing whether strong revenue and pricing can overcome a larger fuel bill. Delta and other major carriers have consequently surrendered part of their recent earnings-driven rebound. Airline stocks and rising oil prices article
• Negative Sentiment: Delta issued a travel waiver for Italy amid potential flight cancellations, allowing eligible travelers to rebook or seek refunds. The disruption may create incremental operational and revenue uncertainty. Delta Italy flight cancellation warning

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Zacks Research cut Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Barclays dropped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $101.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.65.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:DAL opened at $76.84 on Monday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.03 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $80.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.05). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 16.83% and a net margin of 4.58%. The company had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. Delta Air Lines’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a $0.2150 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.17%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 40,460 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.55, for a total transaction of $3,785,033.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,766,994.20. This represents a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael P. Huerta sold 3,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $291,741.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,060,927.75. This trade represents a 8.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 356,726 shares of company stock valued at $33,081,037. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company provides scheduled passenger air transportation to destinations across the United States and international markets, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. Delta operates through a network of hubs and focus cities, offering service under the Delta brand and through regional partners operating as Delta Connection.

In addition to passenger flights, Delta provides air cargo transportation and related logistics services.