Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Shares Purchased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 12.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 154,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,769 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $10,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 177,145 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,777,000 after acquiring an additional 20,203 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 16,978 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,129,000 after purchasing an additional 2,021 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 36.2% during the 1st quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,356 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,158 shares during the period. Optas LLC increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Optas LLC now owns 5,371 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 57.9% in the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 62,075 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,127,000 after purchasing an additional 22,763 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $92.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating 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 and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.93.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE:DAL opened at $92.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $78.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.91. The stock has a market cap of $60.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.52, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.29. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.19 and a 1-year high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The company had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.47 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.215 per share. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is 10.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,574,466. This represents a 3.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 value of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 149,635 shares of company stock worth $10,833,855 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple earnings-preview pieces say Delta looks positioned to beat estimates, supported by strong bookings and lower fuel costs, which could improve near-term results. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Delta to $105 from $80 and kept an outperform rating, reinforcing a more optimistic Wall Street view of the airline. Benzinga report on BMO price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and TD Cowen also lifted targets across major U.S. airlines, with Delta included, which signals improving analyst confidence in the sector’s revenue outlook. Airlines Get a Wall Street Lift as Goldman, TD Cowen Raise Targets on Delta, United, Southwest, American
• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s international expansion, including its Korean Air partnership and new Los Angeles-to-Hong Kong service, underscores growth in the high-margin trans-Pacific market. Delta (DAL) Expands Pacific Reach With Korean Air Tie Up And Hong Kong Route

Delta Air Lines 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.