Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP John Laughter Sells 69,304 Shares of Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) EVP John Laughter sold 69,304 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.15, for a total transaction of $4,723,067.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,727,497.35. This represents a 49.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $67.09 on Tuesday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.80 and a 52 week high of $76.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $66.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.98. The company has a market cap of $44.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. Research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $81.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.26.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta is rolling out an updated Delta One suite and new private premium business-class suites aimed at boosting higher-margin premium revenue, supporting longer-term unit-revenue improvement. Delta One suite unveiled
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and stayed constructive: Jefferies lifted its target to $81 (buy) and TD Cowen has increased its model-based target to $84, which underpins upside expectations versus current levels. Jefferies raises target to $81
• Positive Sentiment: Product enhancements continue: media coverage and analyst notes highlight Delta’s investment in premium cabins and pricing power, which management says helps offset cost pressures. Delta upgrades business class
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic partnerships could add ancillary revenue: coverage notes an Amazon–Delta in-flight Wi‑Fi tie-up that may open new revenue channels if execution scales. Amazon and Delta in-flight Wi‑Fi
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP John E. Laughter sold ~69,304 shares (~50% reduction in his holdings), a large discloseable sale that can spook investors even if it’s for diversification or liquidity reasons. SEC filing: insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel/geopolitical risk is rising: reports about a possible Hormuz blockade and related oil-market tension have pushed concerns about jet-fuel availability and prices, a direct margin headwind for airlines. Airline stocks drop amid Hormuz blockade fears
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage flagged Delta’s “double miss” impact from a jet-fuel-driven cost spike; that underscores earnings vulnerability if fuel stays elevated despite pricing power. Delta’s double miss warning

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.