Denali Advisors LLC Acquires New Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,014 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $487,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Financial Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 794 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,717 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC now owns 8,593 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 2,150 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $7,026,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. The trade was a 6.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total transaction of $2,647,942.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,390,835.20. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 278,737 shares of company stock valued at $19,868,268 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 0.3%

DAL stock opened at $73.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $66.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.29. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.28 and a 52-week high of $76.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.3 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.1875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is 10.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Dbs Bank raised Delta Air Lines to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.47.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Delta to $95, highlighting confidence in the airline’s premium-cabin strategy and potential for stronger earnings per share, which can boost investor sentiment. UBS Just Hiked Delta Air Lines Price Target to $95: Premium Cabin Strategy Targets $13 EPS
• Positive Sentiment: Delta has outperformed since its last earnings report, suggesting the market is still rewarding the company’s recent quarterly results and outlook. Why Is Delta (DAL) Up 7.8% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Airfare pricing across the industry is rising sharply after Spirit’s liquidation, which could support Delta’s revenue per seat if demand remains firm. Airfares skyrocket as much as 218% on Spirit Airlines’ busiest routes within just 48 hours of its May 2 liquidation

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.