Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $72.34 and last traded at $71.9280, with a volume of 1989230 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.06.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on DAL shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $69.20 to $73.70 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Delta Air Lines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $75.07.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 4.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $47.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $64.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.35.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 15th. The transportation company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 23.83%. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter. Analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total value of $1,453,722.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 81,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,055,523.97. This represents a 22.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP William C. Carroll sold 14,010 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.25, for a total value of $858,112.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $968,730. This trade represents a 46.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 19,408 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,347,000 after buying an additional 1,844 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 114.8% in the third quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 41,137 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,330,000 after purchasing an additional 21,989 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,044,000. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 25,160 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.