Securian Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 43.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 17,637 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 13,687 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $1,224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target on Delta to $88 from $81 and kept an Outperform rating, citing Delta’s superior “fuel insulation” as a key advantage while oil prices remain elevated. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Given New $88.00 Price Target at Sanford C. Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: Another analysis highlighted Delta’s fleet revitalization and fuel-efficiency gains, suggesting the airline may be better positioned than peers to handle high jet-fuel costs. It’s Just Plane Obvious: Delta Is Set To Benefit From The Jet Fuel Crisis
• Neutral Sentiment: An ITC investigation into Joby Aviation could create risk for Delta’s eVTOL partnership with Joby, but the direct impact on DAL is still uncertain at this stage. ITC Probe Puts Joby Delta Partnership And US eVTOL Plans At Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil prices are pressuring airline stocks broadly, and Delta is not immune even though its fuel efficiency may soften the blow relative to peers. US airline stocks slip as oil surges after Trump rejects Iran peace proposal
• Negative Sentiment: Recent valuation-focused commentary noted that Delta’s stock had a sharp one-day pullback, reflecting some cooling after a strong run. Assessing Delta Air Lines (DAL) Valuation As Conflicting Fair Value Narratives Emerge

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $1,500,177.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,025 shares in the company, valued at $8,731,818.75. The trade was a 14.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,364.09. This represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 204,925 shares of company stock worth $14,323,395 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock opened at $70.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of $66.54 and a 200 day moving average of $66.51. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12 month low of $45.28 and a 12 month high of $76.39.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The company had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is 10.93%.

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.