Brokerages Set Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Target Price at $77.78

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.9667.

A number of research firms have commented on DAL. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Argus set a $80.00 price target on Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple major brokers raised price targets and maintained constructive ratings on DAL, signaling upward analyst conviction (HSBC to $80.20, Wolfe Research to $83, Goldman Sachs to $80, DBS to $80). These upgrades imply ~12–16% upside from recent levels and support medium‑term upside. HSBC Raises PT Wolfe Research Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts emphasize Delta’s strong cash flow, low leverage and resilient premium (MRO and high‑end traveler demand) as reasons the shares remain a buy despite near‑term caution. Benzinga: Caution Hides Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: EPS modestly beat while revenue missed and management gave a cautious tone on 2026 (guidance range highlighted). Investors are parsing whether the guidance conservatism is prudent or indicates weaker demand trends — a near‑term volatility driver. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research pieces (Zacks, MarketBeat) highlight Delta as a momentum/value play for longer‑term investors while flagging short‑term sensitivity to guidance and macro data. Zacks Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CEO Edward Bastian sold ~173,230 shares (~21% cut to his holding) at ~$71 (SEC filing), and several EVPs (Rahul Samant, Steven Sear, Alain Bellemare, Peter Carter) also sold large blocks over Jan 14–15, reducing their positions materially. Large insider dispositions can pressure sentiment and add selling pressure even if driven by diversification or tax planning. CEO Sale SEC EVP Samant SEC

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 173,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $12,299,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 632,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,930,433. This represents a 21.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.21, for a total transaction of $2,491,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,731 shares in the company, valued at $6,625,542.51. This trade represents a 27.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 335,146 shares of company stock worth $23,396,201 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 27.8% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 45,862 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,000,000 after buying an additional 9,984 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,733 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth $178,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 12,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $620,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $70.50 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $34.74 and a 1 year high of $73.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The business’s 50-day moving average is $66.73 and its 200-day moving average is $60.84. The company has a market capitalization of $46.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.38.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.99% and a net margin of 7.90%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

About Delta Air Lines

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.