Argent Trust Co Reduces Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Argent Trust Co lessened its stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 50.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,379 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 15,610 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $873,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DAL. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $142,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $228,000. Banco Santander S.A. increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 15.0% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 173,832 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,865,000 after acquiring an additional 22,697 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the third quarter worth about $287,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta announced another order to refresh its narrowbody fleet with 34 Airbus A321neo jets — these newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft improve unit costs and premium-seat capacity over time, supporting margin expansion and premium revenue potential. Delta orders 34 more Airbus A321neo jets in fleet renewal push
• Positive Sentiment: Management is also pursuing wider fleet growth (widebody expansion) to chase long‑haul and premium demand — a structural growth push that can boost long‑term revenue per available seat mile if executed well. Delta Air Lines Aims at Fleet Growth: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Yesterday Delta closed higher, reflecting recent operational strength and beat/guide context from January earnings, but that momentum was overtaken by today’s macro cost shock. Why the Market Dipped But Delta Air Lines (DAL) Gained Today
• Negative Sentiment: Crude oil surged today, pushing jet‑fuel expectations higher — investors fear rising fuel costs will compress airline margins and earnings, driving broad sector weakness and heavy selling in Delta shares. Why Delta (DAL) Shares Are Getting Obliterated Today
• Negative Sentiment: Sectorwide jet‑fuel pressure also hit low‑cost peers (e.g., Frontier), signaling the move is macro/commodity‑driven rather than company‑specific — that increases downside risk across airline stocks, including DAL. Why Frontier (ULCC) Shares Are Sliding Today
• Negative Sentiment: Delta CEO Edward Bastian sold 100,000 shares in a disclosed transaction last week — while insider sales can be routine, the timing contributes to negative sentiment when paired with sector pain. SEC filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Erik Storey Snell sold 39,420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total value of $2,799,608.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,530,087.50. This trade represents a 52.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 173,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $12,299,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,930,433. This trade represents a 21.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $73.70 to $80.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $80.47.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 6.9%

NYSE DAL opened at $65.66 on Monday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $76.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $42.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.56, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.34.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Delta Air Lines’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

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

Delta Air Lines 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.