Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Susquehanna

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price objective decreased by Susquehanna from $105.00 to $100.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $101.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 28th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.24.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

DAL opened at $82.32 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.34. 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 has a 1-year low of $55.03 and a 1-year high of $95.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $83.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.84.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.05). Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The firm had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a $0.2150 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.26%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, President Peter W. Carter sold 39,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $3,709,902.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 424,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,488,977.92. This represents a 8.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David G. Dewalt sold 31,756 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.85, for a total transaction of $2,885,032.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,031,224.30. The trade was a 58.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 356,726 shares of company stock worth $33,081,037 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DAL. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the second quarter worth approximately $1,182,646,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,579.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,673,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $185,534,000 after purchasing an additional 2,514,193 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the second quarter valued at approximately $160,265,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 4,327,719 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $300,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,536,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 339.5% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,288,956 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $89,454,000 after buying an additional 995,685 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta reported record September-quarter revenue of approximately $17.6 billion, up 21.1% year over year, reflecting resilient passenger demand, healthy yields and strength in its premium business. Management said bookings remain strong and expects revenue to grow about 20% in the December quarter. Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects higher fares to help offset elevated fuel expenses and projects approximately $2.5 billion of 2026 free cash flow, while targeting more than $2 billion of debt repayment. These plans support Delta’s balance-sheet and shareholder-return narrative. Delta Air Lines cuts 2026 forecast on fuel surge, but CEO says demand is still strong
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly favorable, including a Buy rating from Morgan Stanley. Call-option activity was also above normal, suggesting some traders continue to anticipate a recovery despite the guidance reduction.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the company can absorb roughly $6 billion in additional fuel costs and sees no meaningful deterioration in travel demand. However, the timing and persistence of fuel-price relief remain uncertain. Delta Air Lines cuts profit forecast as fuel costs outpace fare gains
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $1.72, below the $1.77 consensus, while revenue also narrowly missed estimates. The earnings miss was Delta’s first in roughly two years and indicates that rising costs are already pressuring margins.
• Negative Sentiment: Jet-fuel expense increased more than 60% year over year, overwhelming revenue gains. Delta cut 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.10–$5.60 from $6.50–$7.50; fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $1.15–$1.65 and revenue guidance of $17.5 billion were also below consensus. DAL Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates as Higher Fuel Costs Hurt Margins

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline that provides scheduled passenger and air freight transportation. The company serves destinations throughout the United States and connects customers to international markets across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean through its own operations and regional airline partners.

Delta offers multiple classes of passenger service, including premium cabins and its main cabin, along with travel-related products such as vacation packages and loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles program.