North Dakota State Investment Board Acquires New Stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 22,369 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,552,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter valued at $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 357,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

DAL stock opened at $67.77 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $44.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.28 and a 1 year high of $76.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $67.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.89.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released 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 firm had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.93%.

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new 39.8 million-share Delta stake, a major endorsement that has boosted sentiment around DAL’s premium revenue and loyalty-driven business model.
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on Delta Air Lines, signaling improved analyst confidence in the carrier’s earnings and strategic positioning. Bernstein Raised PT on Delta Air Lines (DAL), Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding Europe flights, including added service to Madrid and Munich, to capture event-driven travel demand and support higher-yield premium bookings. Delta Expands Europe Flights to Capture Event-Driven Travel Demand
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ed Bastian defended Delta’s choice of Amazon Leo over Starlink, citing a much lower price point and other benefits, which may help keep technology costs in check. Delta CEO stands by his decision to choose Amazon over Elon Musk’s Starlink for one main reason
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s CEO said the airline will prioritize global expansion over domestic tie-ups, indicating a focus on organic growth rather than near-term merger activity. Delta CEO Ed Bastian Says Airline Will Prioritize Global Expansion Over Domestic Tie-Ups Despite Trump’s Merger-Friendly Policies
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces noted Delta as a stock to watch following Berkshire’s investment, but these were largely reiterations of the same ownership news rather than new operational developments. Berkshire’s New Delta Stake Highlights Premium And Loyalty Focus Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term profit-taking has also appeared after the Berkshire-related rally, suggesting some traders are fading the move despite the improved longer-term story.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wolfe Research cut their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $1,500,177.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,731,818.75. This trade represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total value of $7,026,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. This represents a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 204,925 shares of company stock valued at $14,323,395. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.