Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 6.500-7.500 for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Delta Air Lines also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 0.500-0.900 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE:DAL opened at $70.97 on Tuesday. Delta Air Lines has a 52 week low of $34.74 and a 52 week high of $73.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $65.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $46.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 23.83% and a net margin of 7.36%.The company’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $87.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $63.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $77.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total transaction of $1,453,722.59. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 81,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,055,523.97. The trade was a 22.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP William C. Carroll sold 14,010 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.25, for a total value of $858,112.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,816 shares in the company, valued at $968,730. This trade represents a 46.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued strong 2026 guidance — adjusted EPS of $6.50–$7.50 (about 20% growth at the midpoint) and March?quarter revenue guidance of +5% to +7%, signaling confident top?line and profit expansion. Delta forecasts 20% jump in 2026 profits, orders first Boeing Dreamliners
• Positive Sentiment: Delta placed a strategic fleet order for 30 Boeing 787?10 Dreamliners (options for more), supporting long?term capacity growth and premium product expansion. Fleet investment underpins medium?term revenue mix improvement. Delta Air Lines Orders Boeing 787s, Posts Record Results
• Positive Sentiment: Selected GE Aerospace GEnx engines and support for the new 787?10s — reduces execution risk on the aircraft program and ties long?term service relationships to GE. Delta Air Lines Selects GE Aerospace GEnx Engines to Power New 787-10s
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted Q4 EPS was $1.55 — modestly above some estimates (Blockonomi reports a beat vs $1.53) but other consensus comparisons vary, so the EPS takeaway is mixed. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Stock: Earnings Beat Expectations But Revenue Falls Short
• Neutral Sentiment: Company highlighted record revenue for the quarter and ongoing premium?cabin focus (allocating new seat capacity to premium cabins), which supports margin expansion if demand holds. Delta Air Lines Announces December Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations materially — $14.61B reported vs ~ $15.8B consensus — and management flagged weaker near?term demand related to a government shutdown, a key driver of negative sentiment. Delta’s stock takes a hit as revenue falls more than feared in wake of shutdown
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell in pre?market trading after the mixed release (some outlets reporting a pre?market plunge), reflecting investor focus on the revenue miss and near?term demand risk despite the upbeat guidance. DAL Earnings: Delta Air Lines Stock Slumps on Mixed Q4 Results

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DAL. SWAN Capital LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $85,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $95,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $120,000. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.