Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP Sells $1,074,150.00 in Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) EVP John Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,364.09. This trade represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock opened at $71.73 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.26. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.80 and a 12-month high of $76.39. The company has a market capitalization of $47.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. Delta Air Lines’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were paid a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is 10.93%.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its holdings 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 worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of 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. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.6% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DAL shares. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. HSBC reduced their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.26.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fuel relief from Strait of Hormuz comments — Iran said the Strait of Hormuz will remain open, triggering a steep drop in crude (WTI and Brent) and easing near‑term jet‑fuel cost pressure for airlines, which lifted Delta shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets after Q1 — Several brokers have raised price targets and maintained buy ratings following Delta’s better‑than‑expected Q1 results and favorable commentary on premium and loyalty revenue, supporting upside sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks moves rating to Hold — Zacks upgraded DAL from “strong sell” to “hold,” which is mild support but not a strong buy signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry M&A chatter — Ongoing discussion about consolidation among U.S. carriers (United/American rumors) can rotate investor flows across names; Delta may benefit as a standalone leader but the direct impact is indirect. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed — EVP John Laughter sold ~15,000 shares (SEC filing), which can spook some investors even if sales are for diversification or liquidity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sector risk from Spirit distress — Reports of rising bankruptcy/liquidation risk at Spirit Airlines are weighing on sector sentiment and could create volatility for peers, including Delta. Read More.

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.