Focus Financial Network Inc. Acquires 20,401 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Focus Financial Network Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 27.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,458 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,401 shares during the quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $6,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Financial Bank Trust Division boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,493 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 5,871 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,237 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Gables Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 9.9% during the third quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DAL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings cut Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $73.70 to $80.20 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.80.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total value of $2,647,942.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 138,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,390,835.20. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $7,026,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. The trade was a 6.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 in the last ninety days. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 2.2%

DAL stock opened at $66.56 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $66.97 and a 200 day moving average of $64.25. The firm has a market cap of $43.47 billion, a PE ratio of 8.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.74 and a twelve month high of $76.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The business had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on DAL to $84 and kept a Buy rating, which supports upside expectations and likely helped buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding routes (adds Phoenix flights, expands Bozeman service from Austin), a revenue-positive move that targets seasonal and business travel demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader travel-sector tailwinds (reduced geopolitical risk after reported pause in planned strikes) have lifted airline stocks, helping Delta’s trade. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its Delta price target to $77 — a downgrade of the target but still above current levels; mixed signal for traders weighing near-term vs. longer-term upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry trend toward more premium seating (United and others reconfiguring cabins) raises potential margin opportunities but also intensifies competition on product and yields. Monitor capacity/pricing responses. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Delta suspended special services for members of Congress (airport escorts and “red coat” assistance), citing the extended partial government shutdown—this highlights operational strain at U.S. airports and elevated TSA absences that can disrupt schedules and passenger experience. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Widespread reporting (Reuters/CNBC/MSN/TheStreet/Yahoo) ties longer TSA lines and staffing shortfalls to the shutdown; sustained delays could reduce demand or increase irregular-costs for carriers if they need to rebook or compensate passengers. Read More.

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.