Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the twenty-four analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $75.0739.

Several research firms have recently commented on DAL. Dbs Bank raised 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 report on Thursday, December 18th. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $69.20 to $73.70 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 0.7%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $71.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.35. The company has a market cap of $46.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.38. Delta Air Lines has a fifty-two week low of $34.74 and a fifty-two week high of $72.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 15th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 23.83% and a net margin of 7.36%. Equities analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of the company’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 value of $1,453,722.59. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 81,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,055,523.97. This represents a 22.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP William C. Carroll sold 14,010 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.25, for a total transaction of $858,112.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $968,730. This trade represents a 46.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings 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 worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.2% in the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 5,871 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,844 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. 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 during the period. Finally, Gables Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 200 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.