Empowered Funds LLC Buys 26,317 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 15.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 195,513 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 26,317 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $12,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter worth about $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 357,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $86.30 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $56.75 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $84.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.91. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 5.79%.The business’s revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. Analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is 14.26%.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised Delta’s fair-value estimate from $81.81 to $105.52 after its second-quarter results and management commentary. The revisions cite stronger earnings execution, improving margins, and the growing contribution of premium travel and loyalty revenue, which can make results less dependent on main-cabin ticket demand. Delta Air Lines stock fair value boost
• Positive Sentiment: A separate analysis argues that Delta’s expansion into premium seating, loyalty, and other diversified revenue streams may reduce the company’s historical cyclicality. That supports the case for a higher valuation relative to the heavily cyclical airline multiples investors have typically assigned to DAL. Delta profits versus GE premiums analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Delta and DraftKings launched SkyPicks, a no-wagering sports contest available through Delta Sync WiFi. The program offers passengers the chance to win Delta gift cards and could modestly improve onboard engagement, brand loyalty, and ancillary revenue without involving deposits or cash betting. Delta and DraftKings add sports contests
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader airline backdrop remains mixed: premium and corporate demand are improving at American Airlines, but fuel, labor, and debt costs remain risks across the industry. Delta’s premium-heavy strategy may offer some protection, while fuel-price volatility remains an important factor for DAL investors. American Airlines revenue and fuel risks

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,574,466. The trade was a 3.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 65,331 shares of company stock worth $5,036,638. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on DAL shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research raised Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

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.