HSBC Issues Positive Forecast for Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at HSBC from $73.70 to $80.20 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. HSBC’s price target indicates a potential upside of 12.40% from the stock’s current price.

DAL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Dbs Bank upgraded Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-three have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $79.97.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of DAL stock traded up $2.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.35. The stock had a trading volume of 8,110,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,810,209. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.59 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Delta Air Lines has a 52-week low of $34.74 and a 52-week high of $73.16.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.99% and a net margin of 7.90%.Delta Air Lines’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts expect that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total transaction of $1,453,722.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 81,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,055,523.97. The trade was a 22.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter valued at about $386,364,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 54.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,817,783 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $330,159,000 after buying an additional 2,058,744 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,572,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,667,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648,071 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,661,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $434,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $71,693,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,495 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support lifted sentiment — multiple firms reiterated or initiated Buy ratings and kept bullish targets, helping push the stock up. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Gets a Buy from Wells Fargo UBS Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Delta Air Lines (DAL) Delta Air Lines, Inc. Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings showed an EPS beat and management set FY?2026 guidance that emphasizes premium customers, margin gains and strong free cash flow — supporting expectations for debt reduction and higher shareholder returns. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript Delta Q4 results and guidance (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners signals fleet modernization and long-term unit-cost improvement, which analysts view as a structural positive for margins and international growth. Delta orders Boeing 787s (Business Insider)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted premiumization (more premium fliers and expected fare mix improvement) and plans to expand lounges to address capacity — both support revenue quality but require execution. Delta Expects Premium Fliers to Boost Profit (MSN) CEO: We’re working on adding more lounges (YouTube)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry tailwind noted: analysts suggest potential fuel savings if average passenger weight declines (e.g., from weight?loss drugs), a macro factor that could modestly lower unit costs over time. Airlines to save on fuel as weight-loss pills gain popularity (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also digested a revenue miss vs. consensus and relatively cautious near?term guidance, which pressured shares immediately after the release — a reminder that growth expectations must match execution. Delta falls as investors digest earnings and Dreamliner news (MSN) Delta Q4 coverage (Yahoo)

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.