Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.06), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.70 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

NYSE DAL opened at $65.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $35.46 and a 1 year high of $76.39. The business’s fifty day moving average is $66.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 9.78%.

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s refinery and fuel hedging look like a real advantage versus peers — management and analysts point to the Trainer refinery as a source of meaningful savings and a potential ~$300M boost, supporting margins as jet fuel spikes. CNBC: Delta CEO says airline will ‘meaningfully’ cut growth plans, sees $300 million boost from its refinery
• Positive Sentiment: Company says March-quarter results delivered in line with guidance and highlighted “better‑than‑expected revenue performance”; Delta also guided to low‑teens revenue growth for the June quarter despite flat capacity, and expects roughly $1B pre‑tax profit for June — supportive forward commentary. PR Newswire: Delta Air Lines Announces March Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Macro headlines (reports of a temporary U.S.-Iran ceasefire) briefly lifted airline stocks, giving Delta upside on hopes of lower fuel and fewer disruptions. TipRanks: Airline Stocks Jump on 2-Week Ceasefire Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option activity indicates some investors are positioning for an upside move post‑earnings — a bullish flows signal. Options flow report
• Neutral Sentiment: Wolfe Research trimmed its price target (from $81 to $73) but kept an outperform rating — a mixed signal: confidence in Delta’s positioning but slightly lower near‑term upside. MarketScreener: Wolfe Research adjusts price target
• Negative Sentiment: Jet fuel costs are surging (industrywide headwind). Delta and peers raised checked‑bag fees to pass costs to customers — a sign fuel pressure is material and could weigh on demand or sentiment. CNBC: Delta raises checked bag fees amid jet fuel price surge
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings reaction is mixed: Delta reported adjusted/non‑GAAP EPS of $0.64, with different outlets parsing GAAP vs. adjusted figures and revenue differently — some reports show revenue beat, others show revenue below consensus, creating uncertainty and press‑driven volatility. Seeking Alpha: Non-GAAP EPS $0.64; revenue report and Company press release / Quartr
• Negative Sentiment: Management signaled it will “meaningfully reduce” near‑term capacity growth — a margin‑protecting move but one that lowers revenue growth potential and can be read as conservative given fuel uncertainty. CNBC: Delta CEO says airline will ‘meaningfully’ cut growth plans

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Delta Air Lines news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 173,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $12,299,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 632,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,930,433. This represents a 21.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erik Storey Snell sold 39,420 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total transaction of $2,799,608.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,530,087.50. The trade was a 52.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. SWAN Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the 3rd quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on DAL. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Evercore lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.43.

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.