Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Shares Acquired by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 139.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 170,874 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 99,421 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $11,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 451.6% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 524 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $737,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 138,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,552,904. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DAL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.40.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL stock opened at $85.48 on Wednesday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $81.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.76. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $56.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.29.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.215 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.26%.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Delta to $112 and reiterated a buy rating, highlighting further upside after the airline’s strong quarterly performance.
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan also lifted its price target to $114 and kept an overweight rating, reflecting growing analyst confidence in Delta’s earnings outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports pointed to healthy travel demand, premium cabin strength, and resilient cash flow, suggesting Delta can keep growing revenue even in a higher-cost environment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Delta said cheaper jet fuel may not translate into lower airfares, implying pricing power could remain intact and margins may stay supported. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several coverage pieces framed Delta as a value or momentum stock trading at a reasonable valuation, but these are more confirmation than a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising geopolitical tensions in Iran were flagged as a potential headwind for airline stocks because they could pressure fuel prices and create turbulence for travel demand. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel costs remain a key risk, with Delta noting a sharp jump in fuel expense during the quarter, which could keep margin pressure in focus if energy prices rise again.

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.