Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 283,393 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 455.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 345,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 283,393 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $23,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. SWAN Capital LLC grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the 3rd quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 451.6% during 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. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.76.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 3.5%

NYSE:DAL opened at $67.77 on Wednesday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.28 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.89.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

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

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new 39.8 million-share Delta stake, a major endorsement that has boosted sentiment around DAL’s premium revenue and loyalty-driven business model.
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on Delta Air Lines, signaling improved analyst confidence in the carrier’s earnings and strategic positioning. Bernstein Raised PT on Delta Air Lines (DAL), Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding Europe flights, including added service to Madrid and Munich, to capture event-driven travel demand and support higher-yield premium bookings. Delta Expands Europe Flights to Capture Event-Driven Travel Demand
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ed Bastian defended Delta’s choice of Amazon Leo over Starlink, citing a much lower price point and other benefits, which may help keep technology costs in check. Delta CEO stands by his decision to choose Amazon over Elon Musk’s Starlink for one main reason
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s CEO said the airline will prioritize global expansion over domestic tie-ups, indicating a focus on organic growth rather than near-term merger activity. Delta CEO Ed Bastian Says Airline Will Prioritize Global Expansion Over Domestic Tie-Ups Despite Trump’s Merger-Friendly Policies
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces noted Delta as a stock to watch following Berkshire’s investment, but these were largely reiterations of the same ownership news rather than new operational developments. Berkshire’s New Delta Stake Highlights Premium And Loyalty Focus Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term profit-taking has also appeared after the Berkshire-related rally, suggesting some traders are fading the move despite the improved longer-term story.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 69,304 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,727,497.35. This trade represents a 49.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total transaction of $1,500,177.75. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 204,925 shares of company stock valued at $14,323,395 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.