Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.55 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. Delta Air Lines updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.500-7.500 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.500 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $88.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $80.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.43. Delta Air Lines has a 52-week low of $50.44 and a 52-week high of $95.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is 10.93%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,574,466. The trade was a 3.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,364.09. The trade was a 21.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 80,331 shares of company stock valued at $6,110,788. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DAL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during 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 during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 357,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DAL shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $79.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.60.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta beat second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, showing demand and pricing remain better than expected.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year profit guidance and issued a stronger third-quarter outlook, reducing concern that fares will weaken as fuel costs ease.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its dividend and continued paying down debt, which may appeal to income-focused and long-term investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s new “basic business” fare options could help broaden premium-cabin demand, but the longer-term revenue impact is still unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent airline stocks have also faced pressure from higher oil prices and geopolitical tension, which can raise fuel-cost worries for DAL.

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.