Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-three have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $79.7625.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DAL. TD Cowen increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research upgraded Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total value of $7,026,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. This trade represents a 6.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $1,500,177.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,731,818.75. The trade was a 14.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 204,925 shares of company stock worth $14,323,395. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the 3rd quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $76.16 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.25. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $45.28 and a 1 year high of $77.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.26.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.93%.

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.