TD Cowen Issues Positive Forecast for Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its target price increased by TD Cowen from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report issued on Thursday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 26.26% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently commented on DAL. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Argus raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.05.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $66.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,405,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,184,613. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Delta Air Lines has a 1-year low of $38.66 and a 1-year high of $76.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.73. The stock has a market cap of $43.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.68, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 74.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,835,520.20. This trade represents a 26.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% in the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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.