Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $4.70 Million Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 72.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,635 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,689 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $4,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the first quarter valued at about $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the second quarter valued at about $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 102.2% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 357,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 10.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DAL. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Argus set a $105.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of Delta Air Lines 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. The trade was 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 Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 133,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,574,466. This represents a 3.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 65,331 shares of company stock worth $5,036,638 over the last quarter. Company 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: Analyst fair-value estimates moved materially higher. Following Delta’s second-quarter results and management commentary, one estimate rose from $81.81 to $105.52. Analysts cited earnings execution, margins, and growth in premium and loyalty revenue as reasons for the improved outlook. Delta Air Lines Stock Gets Fair Value Boost After Q2 Spurs Analyst Target Hikes
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains supportive. Coverage highlights Delta’s outperformance over the broader market and generally optimistic analyst views. The company’s latest quarterly results also exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $1.56 per share versus a $1.49 consensus estimate and revenue of $17.67 billion versus $17.43 billion expected. Do Wall Street Analysts Like Delta Air Lines Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is benefiting from a less-cyclical revenue mix. Commentary contrasts Delta’s valuation with GE Aerospace’s premium and argues that premium cabins, loyalty programs and other diversified revenue streams make Delta less dependent on main-cabin ticket demand than in the past. Delta’s Profits vs. GE’s Premiums
• Neutral Sentiment: A new DraftKings partnership adds engagement but is not expected to materially change near-term earnings. Delta will offer SkyPicks, a free sports-knowledge contest available through Delta Sync Wi-Fi. Passengers can compete for Delta gift cards without wagering or depositing money, potentially enhancing the in-flight experience and customer engagement. Delta and DraftKings Add Sports Contests to In-Flight Entertainment
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor attention is amplifying visibility rather than providing a new fundamental catalyst. Recent coverage focuses on Delta’s relative transportation-sector performance, broker recommendations and its status as a widely followed stock. Are Transportation Stocks Lagging Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE DAL opened at $88.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $85.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.42. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.44 and a 52 week high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th were given a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is 14.26%.

Delta Air Lines 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.