Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.06 EPS

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.06), FiscalAI reports. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The company had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.70 billion.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.6%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $65.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $42.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $35.46 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $66.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.70.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is currently 9.78%.

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s refinery and fuel hedging look like a real advantage versus peers — management and analysts point to the Trainer refinery as a source of meaningful savings and a potential ~$300M boost, supporting margins as jet fuel spikes. CNBC: Delta CEO says airline will ‘meaningfully’ cut growth plans, sees $300 million boost from its refinery
• Positive Sentiment: Company says March-quarter results delivered in line with guidance and highlighted “better‑than‑expected revenue performance”; Delta also guided to low‑teens revenue growth for the June quarter despite flat capacity, and expects roughly $1B pre‑tax profit for June — supportive forward commentary. PR Newswire: Delta Air Lines Announces March Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Macro headlines (reports of a temporary U.S.-Iran ceasefire) briefly lifted airline stocks, giving Delta upside on hopes of lower fuel and fewer disruptions. TipRanks: Airline Stocks Jump on 2-Week Ceasefire Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option activity indicates some investors are positioning for an upside move post‑earnings — a bullish flows signal. Options flow report
• Neutral Sentiment: Wolfe Research trimmed its price target (from $81 to $73) but kept an outperform rating — a mixed signal: confidence in Delta’s positioning but slightly lower near‑term upside. MarketScreener: Wolfe Research adjusts price target
• Negative Sentiment: Jet fuel costs are surging (industrywide headwind). Delta and peers raised checked‑bag fees to pass costs to customers — a sign fuel pressure is material and could weigh on demand or sentiment. CNBC: Delta raises checked bag fees amid jet fuel price surge
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings reaction is mixed: Delta reported adjusted/non‑GAAP EPS of $0.64, with different outlets parsing GAAP vs. adjusted figures and revenue differently — some reports show revenue beat, others show revenue below consensus, creating uncertainty and press‑driven volatility. Seeking Alpha: Non-GAAP EPS $0.64; revenue report and Company press release / Quartr
• Negative Sentiment: Management signaled it will “meaningfully reduce” near‑term capacity growth — a margin‑protecting move but one that lowers revenue growth potential and can be read as conservative given fuel uncertainty. CNBC: Delta CEO says airline will ‘meaningfully’ cut growth plans

Insider Activity

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of the business’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 owned 95,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,625,542.51. The trade was a 27.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total transaction of $4,388,215.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,469,499.02. This represents a 74.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DAL. SWAN Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DAL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Argus set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.43.

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.