Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 5.100-5.600 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 5.520. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Delta Air Lines also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 1.150-1.650 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $101.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $100.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reduced their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $108.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.01.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE DAL opened at $82.12 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Delta Air Lines has a 1-year low of $55.03 and a 1-year high of $95.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.82. The company has a market capitalization of $54.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by ($0.05). Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The firm had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.65 billion. Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a $0.2150 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In related news, Director David G. Dewalt sold 31,756 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.85, for a total value of $2,885,032.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,031,224.30. This represents a 58.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Peter Carter sold 39,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $3,709,902.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 424,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,488,977.92. The trade was a 8.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 356,726 shares of company stock valued at $33,081,037 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Demand remained resilient, with record September-quarter revenue, healthy yield growth and management expecting December-quarter revenue to increase approximately 20%. CEO Ed Bastian also said fares could rise further as fuel prices remain elevated. Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Delta expects approximately $2.5 billion of 2026 free cash flow, a double-digit return on invested capital and more than $2 billion of debt repayment, supporting its balance-sheet improvement and longer-term investment case. Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have generally maintained positive ratings despite cutting estimates and price targets, suggesting confidence in Delta’s premium-travel strategy and demand durability but greater caution around near-term costs. Wall Street Cut Its Delta Air Estimates Below the Company’s Own Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Delta reduced its full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $5.10–$5.60, below the $5.52 analyst consensus at the midpoint. Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $1.15–$1.65 also brackets a midpoint below consensus, while revenue guidance of $17.5 billion trails the $18.4 billion estimate. Delta Air Lines cuts profit forecast as fuel costs outpace fare gains
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.72 missed the $1.77 consensus, marking Delta’s first earnings miss in two years. The combination of higher fuel expenses and weaker-than-expected guidance is driving the negative investor reaction despite solid underlying demand. Delta Air Lines cuts 2026 forecast on fuel surge

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline that provides scheduled passenger and air freight transportation. The company serves destinations throughout the United States and connects customers to international markets across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean through its own operations and regional airline partners.

Delta offers multiple classes of passenger service, including premium cabins and its main cabin, along with travel-related products such as vacation packages and loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles program.