HSBC Increases Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Price Target to $80.20

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price objective hoisted by stock analysts at HSBC from $73.70 to $80.20 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. HSBC’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 12.40% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on DAL. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $63.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-three have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.97.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL traded up $2.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.35. 8,110,003 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,810,209. The stock has a market cap of $46.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $66.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.54. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $34.74 and a 1 year high of $73.16. 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 (NYSE:DAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.99%. The business had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total value of $1,453,722.59. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 81,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,055,523.97. This represents a 22.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the first quarter worth about $178,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 12,614 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $620,000 after buying an additional 1,257 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 33.2% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,224 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 159,604 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,849,000 after buying an additional 12,230 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support lifted sentiment — multiple firms reiterated or initiated Buy ratings and kept bullish targets, helping push the stock up. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Gets a Buy from Wells Fargo UBS Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Delta Air Lines (DAL) Delta Air Lines, Inc. Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings showed an EPS beat and management set FY‑2026 guidance that emphasizes premium customers, margin gains and strong free cash flow — supporting expectations for debt reduction and higher shareholder returns. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript Delta Q4 results and guidance (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners signals fleet modernization and long-term unit-cost improvement, which analysts view as a structural positive for margins and international growth. Delta orders Boeing 787s (Business Insider)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted premiumization (more premium fliers and expected fare mix improvement) and plans to expand lounges to address capacity — both support revenue quality but require execution. Delta Expects Premium Fliers to Boost Profit (MSN) CEO: We’re working on adding more lounges (YouTube)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry tailwind noted: analysts suggest potential fuel savings if average passenger weight declines (e.g., from weight‑loss drugs), a macro factor that could modestly lower unit costs over time. Airlines to save on fuel as weight-loss pills gain popularity (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also digested a revenue miss vs. consensus and relatively cautious near‑term guidance, which pressured shares immediately after the release — a reminder that growth expectations must match execution. Delta falls as investors digest earnings and Dreamliner news (MSN) Delta Q4 coverage (Yahoo)

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.