Sei Investments Co. Acquires 300,288 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 28.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,339,423 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 300,288 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $89,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in DAL. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 0.3% in 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 during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 4,644 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL stock opened at $85.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $83.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.56. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12-month low of $50.44 and a 12-month high of $95.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 posted $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This is an increase from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $737,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,552,904. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta continues to draw investor interest as a major U.S. carrier with a strong Atlanta hub and ongoing travel demand support, which can help keep sentiment constructive around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Delta has also been trading with relatively low implied volatility, suggesting options are inexpensive and that traders may be positioning for a move higher or a stable range. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta reportedly outperformed other airline stocks even as the broader group weakened, indicating relative strength rather than a clear company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising jet fuel prices are pressuring U.S. airline earnings forecasts, and Delta has already flagged fuel expense as a key margin headwind, which is weighing on airline shares. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DAL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $106.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.40.

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.