HSBC Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its target price dropped by HSBC from $80.20 to $79.30 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. HSBC’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 16.89% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on DAL. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Dbs Bank upgraded Delta Air Lines to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.85.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:DAL opened at $67.84 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines has a one year low of $38.66 and a one year high of $76.39. The company has a market cap of $44.31 billion, a PE ratio of 8.87, a PEG 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.52 and a 200-day moving average of $64.73.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.70 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Delta Air Lines news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $7,026,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at $95,795,856.48. This represents a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total value of $2,647,942.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,390,835.20. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and management commentary showed resilience — Delta reported adjusted Q1 EPS of $0.64 and strong revenue/operational metrics, and the earnings call highlighted demand strength and margin actions that convinced investors the beat is sustainable. Delta Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical relief pushed oil down — a U.S.-Iran ceasefire reduced near‑term oil risk, lifting airline sentiment and improving Delta’s fuel outlook (short‑term tailwind to margins). Airline Stocks Jump on Ceasefire
• Positive Sentiment: Refinery ownership is turning into a cash edge — Delta expects roughly a $300M refinery benefit to help Q2 profit, which differentiates it from peers facing raw fuel inflation. DAL sees $300M refinery benefit
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed — Wolfe Research trimmed its price target to $73 but kept an Outperform rating, signaling continued analyst support despite a more cautious view on upside. Wolfe Research Lowers Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity — large volumes of call buying suggest speculative bullish interest that can amplify intraday moves but also raises short‑term volatility risk. Unusually High Options Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel spike forces strategic pullbacks — management said it will meaningfully cut planned capacity growth and flagged a multi‑billion dollar increase in fuel expense at the forward curve, which pressures near‑term margins and guidance. Delta hits brakes on growth plans
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue actions could hurt demand perception — Delta raised checked-bag fees to help offset higher jet fuel; this improves yields but could dampen PR and price‑sensitive demand if fuel concerns persist. Delta Baggage Fee Hike Highlights Fuel Shock

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.