Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Raymond James Financial Analyst Says

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at Raymond James Financial from $76.00 to $80.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “strong-buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Raymond James Financial’s target price suggests a potential upside of 17.92% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Seaport Research Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $81.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.85.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $67.84 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $44.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. Delta Air Lines has a 1 year low of $38.66 and a 1 year high of $76.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.73.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.70 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Erik Storey Snell sold 39,420 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total value of $2,799,608.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,530,087.50. The trade was a 52.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total transaction of $4,388,215.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,939 shares in the company, valued at $1,469,499.02. This trade represents a 74.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and management commentary showed resilience — Delta reported adjusted Q1 EPS of $0.64 and strong revenue/operational metrics, and the earnings call highlighted demand strength and margin actions that convinced investors the beat is sustainable. Delta Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical relief pushed oil down — a U.S.-Iran ceasefire reduced near‑term oil risk, lifting airline sentiment and improving Delta’s fuel outlook (short‑term tailwind to margins). Airline Stocks Jump on Ceasefire
• Positive Sentiment: Refinery ownership is turning into a cash edge — Delta expects roughly a $300M refinery benefit to help Q2 profit, which differentiates it from peers facing raw fuel inflation. DAL sees $300M refinery benefit
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed — Wolfe Research trimmed its price target to $73 but kept an Outperform rating, signaling continued analyst support despite a more cautious view on upside. Wolfe Research Lowers Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity — large volumes of call buying suggest speculative bullish interest that can amplify intraday moves but also raises short‑term volatility risk. Unusually High Options Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel spike forces strategic pullbacks — management said it will meaningfully cut planned capacity growth and flagged a multi‑billion dollar increase in fuel expense at the forward curve, which pressures near‑term margins and guidance. Delta hits brakes on growth plans
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue actions could hurt demand perception — Delta raised checked-bag fees to help offset higher jet fuel; this improves yields but could dampen PR and price‑sensitive demand if fuel concerns persist. Delta Baggage Fee Hike Highlights Fuel Shock

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.