Susquehanna Cuts Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Price Target to $78.00

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Susquehanna from $81.00 to $78.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “positive” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Susquehanna’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 17.24% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on DAL. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.05.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE:DAL traded down $1.55 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $66.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,405,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,184,613. Delta Air Lines has a 52-week low of $38.66 and a 52-week high of $76.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.52 and a 200-day moving average of $64.73.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total value of $4,388,215.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,939 shares in the company, valued at $1,469,499.02. The trade was a 74.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total value of $2,647,942.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 138,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,390,835.20. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DAL. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the period. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

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.