Michael Huerta Sells 3,100 Shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Director Michael Huerta sold 3,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total value of $291,741.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,060,927.75. This trade represents a 8.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock traded down $1.04 on Thursday, reaching $92.10. 5,170,195 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,327,541. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.42. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.88 and a 52 week high of $95.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $86.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.62. The company has a market capitalization of $60.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.31.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The business had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. Delta Air Lines’s revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were paid a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,182,646,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 137.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $958,538,000 after buying an additional 7,994,004 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth $471,532,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,579.2% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,673,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $185,534,000 after acquiring an additional 2,514,193 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,155,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $426,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,890,521 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on DAL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $112.00 price objective on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Argus set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.40.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Falling crude oil prices could reduce Delta’s jet-fuel expenses, supporting profit margins and potentially strengthening travel demand if the decline persists. Oil Just Lost its Inflation Premium: Here’s Who Wins if Prices Stay Low
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks characterized DAL as both a strong momentum stock and a long-term value opportunity. The company’s recent operating performance, including quarterly revenue growth and an earnings beat, supports the bullish case, although the stock’s roughly 77% one-year gain may limit further upside from valuation expansion. Why Delta Air Lines Is a Strong Momentum Stock Why Delta Air Lines Is a Top Value Stock for the Long Term
• Positive Sentiment: A comparison of Delta with American Airlines favors Delta based on a key loyalty-program differentiator, reinforcing the view that SkyMiles and customer engagement could provide a competitive advantage. Better Airline Stock: Delta vs. American
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $100.40. Delta also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.215 per share, but these developments appear largely reflected in the recent rally. Delta Air Lines analyst and company information
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Edward Bastian sold 206,510 shares for approximately $19.2 million, while President Peter Carter, EVP Alain Bellemare and Director David Dewalt also sold shares. Dewalt’s sale reduced his holdings by about 58.7%. Although the executives retain substantial ownership and sales may be for diversification or tax planning, the cluster of transactions can signal reduced insider conviction and add selling pressure. Delta CEO Sells $19.2 Million of Shares

Delta Air Lines Company 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.