Savant Capital LLC Decreases Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Savant Capital LLC cut its stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 84.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,070 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 156,746 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $2,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Delta Air Lines from $84 to $92 and reiterated a buy rating, reinforcing expectations for further upside in the shares. TD Cowen price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Airline stocks are benefiting from strong travel demand and a more favorable fuel-cost backdrop as oil prices have eased from recent highs, which can help Delta’s margins. Air travel demand and airfare article
• Positive Sentiment: Recent market coverage highlighted that Delta shares have been supported by analyst upgrades and higher price targets, reflecting improving confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. Delta stock is up article
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s CEO defended the carrier’s choice of Amazon’s in-flight Wi-Fi service over SpaceX Starlink, a strategic decision that may matter competitively but is not an immediate financial catalyst. Delta Wi-Fi strategy article
• Negative Sentiment: Two recent insider sales by Delta executives, including EVP Allison Ausband and EVP Alain Bellemare, may modestly pressure sentiment even though insider selling is not always a fundamental red flag. Ausband SEC filing Bellemare SEC filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

DAL has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.22.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $82.49 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.06. The company has a market capitalization of $54.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.28 and a 1 year high of $83.83.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.93%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $1,074,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,364.09. This trade represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $395,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,574,466. This represents a 3.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 149,635 shares of company stock worth $10,833,855 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.