Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $150.74 Million Stock Holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 1.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,655,412 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 47,631 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $150,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,572,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,667,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648,071 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 23.3% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,661,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $434,813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,058 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,860,710 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $219,095,000 after purchasing an additional 736,342 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,407,585 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $118,409,000 after purchasing an additional 685,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,059,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,134,083,000 after purchasing an additional 581,421 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $73.70 to $80.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.38.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL stock opened at $59.17 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $38.65 billion, a PE ratio of 7.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $68.99 and a 200-day moving average of $64.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $76.39.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. Delta Air Lines’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.78%.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — Traders bought roughly 94,764 Delta call options on Friday (about a 153% rise vs. typical call volume), which suggests some investors are positioning for an upside rebound or volatility-driven trading interest.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall‑street analyst stance remains supportive — Brokerages show an average “Buy” recommendation and recent price‑target coverage keeps upside (median target ~ $77), providing a valuation anchor for longer‑term investors. Delta Receives Average “Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive leadership reshuffle — Delta announced a broad C‑suite reorganization (CFO moving roles and other changes). Management moves can be positive if they improve execution but may create near‑term uncertainty until the new structure proves out. Delta reshuffles top ranks as CFO Janki moves to COO, Carter to president
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive/industry moves — Republic Airways’ debt‑free merger with Mesa expands regional capacity and partnership reach (including with Delta); this is more of an industry‑structure development than an immediate company blow. Republic Airways Debt Free Mesa Merger Tests Earnings And Valuation Story
• Negative Sentiment: Middle East conflict and route disruption — Delta suspended New York–Tel Aviv flights through at least March 22 and faces regional airspace disruptions. That directly pressures revenues on exposed routes and raises operational complexity. Delta Suspension Of Tel Aviv Flights Tests Margins And Growth Narrative
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil / jet‑fuel concerns and sector sell‑off — Higher crude pushed airline peers lower as investors price in higher fuel costs and margin pressure; Delta is trading down alongside the sector. Delta falls as oil prices climb
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline market weakness — Broader market slippage tied to the Iran war and a weak U.S. jobs report is weighing on cyclical and travel names, adding downward pressure on DAL. Stocks Slump on Iran War and Weak US Jobs Report

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.21, for a total transaction of $2,491,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 95,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,625,542.51. This trade represents a 27.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 173,230 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

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.