South Dakota Investment Council Buys 6,322 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

South Dakota Investment Council boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 5.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 119,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,322 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $7,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Opal Capital LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the first quarter valued at approximately $742,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 14.9% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,447 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 2,130 shares during the period. Rokos Capital Management LLP purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the first quarter worth $37,578,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 15.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 195,513 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,998,000 after buying an additional 26,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 4.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,154,253 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $76,735,000 after buying an additional 44,581 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DAL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $106.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Monday, July 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,574,466. This represents a 3.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 65,331 shares of company stock worth $5,036,638. 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: Analyst fair-value estimates moved materially higher. Following Delta’s second-quarter results and management commentary, one estimate rose from $81.81 to $105.52. Analysts cited earnings execution, margins, and growth in premium and loyalty revenue as reasons for the improved outlook. Delta Air Lines Stock Gets Fair Value Boost After Q2 Spurs Analyst Target Hikes
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains supportive. Coverage highlights Delta’s outperformance over the broader market and generally optimistic analyst views. The company’s latest quarterly results also exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $1.56 per share versus a $1.49 consensus estimate and revenue of $17.67 billion versus $17.43 billion expected. Do Wall Street Analysts Like Delta Air Lines Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is benefiting from a less-cyclical revenue mix. Commentary contrasts Delta’s valuation with GE Aerospace’s premium and argues that premium cabins, loyalty programs and other diversified revenue streams make Delta less dependent on main-cabin ticket demand than in the past. Delta’s Profits vs. GE’s Premiums
• Neutral Sentiment: A new DraftKings partnership adds engagement but is not expected to materially change near-term earnings. Delta will offer SkyPicks, a free sports-knowledge contest available through Delta Sync Wi-Fi. Passengers can compete for Delta gift cards without wagering or depositing money, potentially enhancing the in-flight experience and customer engagement. Delta and DraftKings Add Sports Contests to In-Flight Entertainment
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor attention is amplifying visibility rather than providing a new fundamental catalyst. Recent coverage focuses on Delta’s relative transportation-sector performance, broker recommendations and its status as a widely followed stock. Are Transportation Stocks Lagging Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:DAL opened at $88.70 on Friday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $85.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $58.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.29.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 5.79%.The company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued 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 was Thursday, July 9th. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

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.