Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) CEO Edward Bastian Sells 206,510 Shares

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) CEO Edward Bastian sold 206,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.80, for a total value of $19,164,128.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at $126,527,974.40. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $93.13 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.88 and a 12 month high of $95.68. The business’s 50 day moving average is $86.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.62. The company has a market cap of $61.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DAL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% in the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 451.6% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 524 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 195.9% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 358 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Crude oil prices fell for a second consecutive session, potentially lowering jet-fuel expenses and improving Delta’s profit margins if the decline persists. Lower energy costs could also ease inflationary pressure and support travel demand. Oil Just Lost its Inflation Premium: Here’s Who Wins if Prices Stay Low
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted DAL as a strong momentum stock, reflecting its recent price performance and improving investor interest. Momentum support may attract additional buying, although it does not by itself establish a change in Delta’s fundamentals. Here’s Why Delta Air Lines Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: A commentary article presents a contrarian view that higher fuel costs could potentially create benefits for Delta under certain industry or pricing conditions. However, the thesis is less immediately favorable than falling fuel prices and highlights uncertainty around fuel-cost exposure. Delta Air Lines: Higher Fuel Costs Might Produce Surprising Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby’s reported merger approaches to Delta and American were rejected. Avoiding a major merger may limit near-term industry disruption for Delta, though United’s focus on fleet innovation could increase competitive pressure over time. Rejected but Not Retreating: United’s Future Lies in Fleet Innovation, Not M&A

About Delta Air Lines

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.