L & S Advisors Inc Takes $7.10 Million Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

L & S Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 102,273 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,098,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.8%

DAL opened at $70.28 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $66.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.69. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $76.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $46.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway reported a new position in Delta Air Lines worth more than $2.6 billion, signaling strong institutional confidence in DAL and likely boosting sentiment around the stock. Berkshire Hathaway returns to airlines with $2.6 billion stake in Delta Air Lines
• Positive Sentiment: Investor reaction is also supported by reports that Citi remains bullish on Delta, reinforcing the view that DAL still has analyst support despite a choppy airline backdrop. Citi Remains a Buy on Delta Air Lines (DAL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is still trading in a volatile airline environment, with rising jet fuel prices pressuring carriers across the sector as they cut capacity, raise fares, and trim forecasts. Will Airline ETFs Shield Your Portfolio Against Rising Jet Fuel Prices?
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta also announced a 4% employee pay raise, which is positive for labor relations but adds to cost pressure at a time when the industry faces fuel and demand uncertainty. Delta gives workers 4% pay raise amid industry uncertainty
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate headlines about Delta’s choice of Amazon’s LEO internet service over Starlink, and Elon Musk’s criticism of that decision, are more of a corporate/branding story than a clear earnings catalyst for DAL. Delta won’t use Starlink. Elon Musk is not happy.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DAL shares. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $1,500,177.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,731,818.75. The trade was a 14.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 69,304 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.15, for a total value of $4,723,067.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,727,497.35. This represents a 49.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 204,925 shares of company stock valued at $14,323,395 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.