Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Updates Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.500-0.900 for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of $14.7 billion-$15.0 billion. Delta Air Lines also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.500-7.500 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $70.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $46.34 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. Delta Air Lines has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $73.16. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 23.83% and a net margin of 7.36%.The business’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DAL. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $63.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $77.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, SVP William C. Carroll sold 14,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.25, for a total transaction of $858,112.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,816 shares in the company, valued at $968,730. The trade was a 46.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total value of $1,453,722.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 81,109 shares in the company, valued at $5,055,523.97. This trade represents a 22.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued strong 2026 guidance — adjusted EPS of $6.50–$7.50 (about 20% growth at the midpoint) and March‑quarter revenue guidance of +5% to +7%, signaling confident top‑line and profit expansion. Delta forecasts 20% jump in 2026 profits, orders first Boeing Dreamliners
• Positive Sentiment: Delta placed a strategic fleet order for 30 Boeing 787‑10 Dreamliners (options for more), supporting long‑term capacity growth and premium product expansion. Fleet investment underpins medium‑term revenue mix improvement. Delta Air Lines Orders Boeing 787s, Posts Record Results
• Positive Sentiment: Selected GE Aerospace GEnx engines and support for the new 787‑10s — reduces execution risk on the aircraft program and ties long‑term service relationships to GE. Delta Air Lines Selects GE Aerospace GEnx Engines to Power New 787-10s
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted Q4 EPS was $1.55 — modestly above some estimates (Blockonomi reports a beat vs $1.53) but other consensus comparisons vary, so the EPS takeaway is mixed. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Stock: Earnings Beat Expectations But Revenue Falls Short
• Neutral Sentiment: Company highlighted record revenue for the quarter and ongoing premium‑cabin focus (allocating new seat capacity to premium cabins), which supports margin expansion if demand holds. Delta Air Lines Announces December Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations materially — $14.61B reported vs ~ $15.8B consensus — and management flagged weaker near‑term demand related to a government shutdown, a key driver of negative sentiment. Delta’s stock takes a hit as revenue falls more than feared in wake of shutdown
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell in pre‑market trading after the mixed release (some outlets reporting a pre‑market plunge), reflecting investor focus on the revenue miss and near‑term demand risk despite the upbeat guidance. DAL Earnings: Delta Air Lines Stock Slumps on Mixed Q4 Results

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 54.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,817,783 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $330,159,000 after buying an additional 2,058,744 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $71,693,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,495 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 295.1% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 507,325 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,791,000 after acquiring an additional 378,919 shares during the period. Polar Capital Holdings Plc bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at $18,389,000. Finally, Castleark Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 3rd quarter valued at $13,024,000. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

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.