Steven Sear Sells 38,600 Shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) EVP Steven Sear sold 38,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,835,520.20. This trade represents a 26.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $71.38 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.74 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $69.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.77. The firm has a market cap of $46.61 billion, a PE ratio of 9.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.37.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.99% and a net margin of 7.90%.The company had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on DAL. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $81.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $80.47.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company kept its quarterly dividend and highlighted a strong cash position / guidance, which earlier supported upside as investors viewed the move as shareholder‑friendly and confidence in cash generation. Delta Keeps Dividend Amid Cash Flow Pressures
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: analysts and market pieces point to a 2026 travel rebound (business travel, global sporting events like the World Cup) that should boost premium yields — a structural tailwind for Delta’s premium/corporate revenue mix. 3 Stocks to Play the Summer Travel Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in late January (~19.8% decline), reducing one source of selling pressure and shortening the immediate downside technical risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Media debate on valuation — several “is it time to buy?” pieces highlight the tension between strong fundamentals and a recent run‑up; useful context but not a direct catalyst. Is It Time To Consider Buying Delta?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: multiple senior executives (EVPs Alain Bellemare, Steven Sear and Peter W. Carter) disclosed multi‑million dollar sales in early Feb (tens of thousands of shares each). That heavy insider selling is prompting near‑term profit taking and weighing on sentiment. Insider Selling Alert SEC Filing (Bellemare)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Q4 trading data: Delta posted a modest EPS beat but missed revenue estimates and flagged that government shutdown effects weighed on sales — a reminder that top‑line risk remains even with solid margin/free‑cash outcomes, which can temper short‑term investor enthusiasm.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the first quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the second quarter valued at approximately $555,000. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 5.1% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 23,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 285.5% in the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 24,715 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,215,000 after purchasing an additional 18,304 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is currently 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.