Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Stock Position Lowered by Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC decreased its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 22.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 212,060 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 62,000 shares during the period. Delta Air Lines comprises about 2.0% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $14,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,652,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its position in 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 valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL opened at $85.48 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $81.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The stock has a market cap of $56.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.29.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a $0.215 dividend. This is an increase from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $737,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 65,331 shares of company stock worth $5,036,638 in the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Delta to $112 and reiterated a buy rating, highlighting further upside after the airline’s strong quarterly performance.
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan also lifted its price target to $114 and kept an overweight rating, reflecting growing analyst confidence in Delta’s earnings outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports pointed to healthy travel demand, premium cabin strength, and resilient cash flow, suggesting Delta can keep growing revenue even in a higher-cost environment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Delta said cheaper jet fuel may not translate into lower airfares, implying pricing power could remain intact and margins may stay supported. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several coverage pieces framed Delta as a value or momentum stock trading at a reasonable valuation, but these are more confirmation than a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising geopolitical tensions in Iran were flagged as a potential headwind for airline stocks because they could pressure fuel prices and create turbulence for travel demand. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel costs remain a key risk, with Delta noting a sharp jump in fuel expense during the quarter, which could keep margin pressure in focus if energy prices rise again.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.40.

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.