Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $74.10 and last traded at $74.2850, with a volume of 3747938 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $69.78.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on DAL. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $87.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $80.47.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $48.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

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

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 9.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 57,003 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.57, for a total transaction of $3,965,698.71. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,521,634.22. This trade represents a 61.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.21, for a total transaction of $2,491,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 95,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,625,542.51. This trade represents a 27.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 357,210 shares of company stock valued at $25,148,440 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 4,644 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 794 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,717 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

About Delta Air Lines

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.