California Public Employees Retirement System Buys 191,345 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 15.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,469,652 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 191,345 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $97,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DAL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter worth about $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the second quarter worth about $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 357,825 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 10.6% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after buying an additional 5,564 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 133,854 shares in the company, valued at $10,574,466. The trade was a 3.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $84.15 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.42. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $50.44 and a one year high of $95.68. The firm has a market cap of $55.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.29.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. Delta Air Lines’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DAL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. HSBC dropped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Evercore increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $112.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.40.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta and United both posted better-than-expected Q2 results, reinforcing that travel demand remains resilient and helping improve sentiment toward airline shares. Delta vs. United Airlines Stock: Which Is the Better Buy After Q2 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is being viewed as a beneficiary of strong fare pricing, especially in premium travel, which could support revenue and earnings even if overall demand normalizes. Delta’s Higher Fares And Shelf Offering Could Be A Game Changer For Delta Air Lines (DAL)
• Positive Sentiment: Another article highlighted that Delta is resetting fares higher as premium and corporate travel holds up, suggesting pricing power remains intact despite higher fuel costs. Delta (DAL) Is Resetting Fares Higher As Premium Travel Demand Holds Up
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary also pointed to Delta as a long-term momentum name, which can add to bullish investor interest after recent earnings strength. Why Delta Air Lines (DAL) is a top momentum stock for the long term
• Neutral Sentiment: Peers are still warning that higher jet fuel costs could pressure margins, so investors are balancing stronger demand against a potentially tougher cost backdrop. UAL Q2 Earnings Beat as Strong Yields Offset Fuel Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: San Antonio’s airport expansion plan is a broader infrastructure development story and is not a direct catalyst for Delta, though it reflects continued airport investment in the travel market. San Antonio to Borrow $944 Million for Major Airport Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: News about Delta extending refund-policy flexibility on some international routes underscores ongoing geopolitical disruption that could weigh on operations and booking trends. Major airline extends refund policy for Dubai flights

Delta Air Lines 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.