Merit Financial Group LLC Has $4.46 Million Stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,254 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,005 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $4,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DAL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth about $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter worth about $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 357,825 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total value of $7,026,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. This trade represents a 6.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,176 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,390,835.20. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 353,611 shares of company stock worth $25,182,798 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Dbs Bank upgraded Delta Air Lines to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. HSBC decreased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.26.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL stock opened at $71.73 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.13 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50-day moving average is $66.53 and its 200-day moving average is $65.38. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.80 and a 1 year high of $76.39.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th were given a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.93%.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fuel relief from Strait of Hormuz comments — Iran said the Strait of Hormuz will remain open, triggering a steep drop in crude (WTI and Brent) and easing near‑term jet‑fuel cost pressure for airlines, which lifted Delta shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets after Q1 — Several brokers have raised price targets and maintained buy ratings following Delta’s better‑than‑expected Q1 results and favorable commentary on premium and loyalty revenue, supporting upside sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks moves rating to Hold — Zacks upgraded DAL from “strong sell” to “hold,” which is mild support but not a strong buy signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry M&A chatter — Ongoing discussion about consolidation among U.S. carriers (United/American rumors) can rotate investor flows across names; Delta may benefit as a standalone leader but the direct impact is indirect. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed — EVP John Laughter sold ~15,000 shares (SEC filing), which can spook some investors even if sales are for diversification or liquidity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sector risk from Spirit distress — Reports of rising bankruptcy/liquidation risk at Spirit Airlines are weighing on sector sentiment and could create volatility for peers, including Delta. Read More.

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.