Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.55 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. Delta Air Lines updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.500-7.500 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.500 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL stock opened at $88.86 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42. Delta Air Lines has a one year low of $50.44 and a one year high of $95.68. The company’s 50-day moving average is $80.68 and its 200 day moving average is $72.43.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.215 per share. 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. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta beat second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, showing demand and pricing remain better than expected.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year profit guidance and issued a stronger third-quarter outlook, reducing concern that fares will weaken as fuel costs ease.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its dividend and continued paying down debt, which may appeal to income-focused and long-term investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s new “basic business” fare options could help broaden premium-cabin demand, but the longer-term revenue impact is still unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent airline stocks have also faced pressure from higher oil prices and geopolitical tension, which can raise fuel-cost worries for DAL.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on DAL. HSBC decreased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 54,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,364.09. The trade was a 21.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 80,331 shares of company stock valued at $6,110,788. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DAL. Compound Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 15,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 10,672 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 567.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 976,894 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $67,796,000 after buying an additional 830,424 shares during the last quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 255,127 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $17,706,000 after buying an additional 23,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 17,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,181,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

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.