Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL – Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 747,998 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,577 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $49,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 137.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $958,538,000 after buying an additional 7,994,004 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $471,532,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 1,579.2% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,673,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $185,534,000 after acquiring an additional 2,514,193 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,155,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $426,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,890,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,496,296 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $659,043,000 after acquiring an additional 1,834,385 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $112.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.40.
Delta Air Lines Stock Down 2.9%
Shares of Delta Air Lines stock opened at $84.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.35. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.05. The stock has a market cap of $55.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.96, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.29.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The business had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 14.26%.
Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines
Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Delta and United both posted better-than-expected Q2 results, reinforcing that travel demand remains resilient and helping improve sentiment toward airline shares. Delta vs. United Airlines Stock: Which Is the Better Buy After Q2 Earnings?
- Positive Sentiment: Delta is being viewed as a beneficiary of strong fare pricing, especially in premium travel, which could support revenue and earnings even if overall demand normalizes. Delta’s Higher Fares And Shelf Offering Could Be A Game Changer For Delta Air Lines (DAL)
- Positive Sentiment: Another article highlighted that Delta is resetting fares higher as premium and corporate travel holds up, suggesting pricing power remains intact despite higher fuel costs. Delta (DAL) Is Resetting Fares Higher As Premium Travel Demand Holds Up
- Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary also pointed to Delta as a long-term momentum name, which can add to bullish investor interest after recent earnings strength. Why Delta Air Lines (DAL) is a top momentum stock for the long term
- Neutral Sentiment: Peers are still warning that higher jet fuel costs could pressure margins, so investors are balancing stronger demand against a potentially tougher cost backdrop. UAL Q2 Earnings Beat as Strong Yields Offset Fuel Pressure
- Neutral Sentiment: San Antonio’s airport expansion plan is a broader infrastructure development story and is not a direct catalyst for Delta, though it reflects continued airport investment in the travel market. San Antonio to Borrow $944 Million for Major Airport Expansion
- Negative Sentiment: News about Delta extending refund-policy flexibility on some international routes underscores ongoing geopolitical disruption that could weigh on operations and booking trends. Major airline extends refund policy for Dubai flights
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the business’s 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 directly owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,574,466. The trade was a 3.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
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.
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