Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.000-2.500 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.860. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.3 billion. Delta Air Lines also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.500-7.500 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $88.86 on Friday. Delta Air Lines has a twelve month low of $50.44 and a twelve month high of $95.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $58.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.95, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $80.68 and its 200 day moving average is $72.43.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 10th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.55 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.Delta Air Lines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 5.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $92.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Argus upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.60.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,364.09. This trade represents a 21.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 80,331 shares of company stock worth $6,110,788 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta beat second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, showing demand and pricing remain better than expected.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year profit guidance and issued a stronger third-quarter outlook, reducing concern that fares will weaken as fuel costs ease.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its dividend and continued paying down debt, which may appeal to income-focused and long-term investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s new “basic business” fare options could help broaden premium-cabin demand, but the longer-term revenue impact is still unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent airline stocks have also faced pressure from higher oil prices and geopolitical tension, which can raise fuel-cost worries for DAL.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 137.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $958,538,000 after buying an additional 7,994,004 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 44.3% during the fourth 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. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $124,444,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $71,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,495 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 4,084,386 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $283,456,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055,980 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

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.