Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Price Target Cut to $81.00 by Analysts at BNP Paribas Exane

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price target cut by BNP Paribas Exane from $85.00 to $81.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on DAL. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research raised Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.10.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE DAL opened at $70.30 on Tuesday. Delta Air Lines has a 1-year low of $39.59 and a 1-year high of $76.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $66.37 and a 200-day moving average of $65.57. The firm has a market cap of $46.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.31.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The company had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. Delta Air Lines’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines will post 5.3 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th were paid a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total value of $2,647,942.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,176 shares in the company, valued at $10,390,835.20. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total value of $7,026,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at $95,795,856.48. The trade was a 6.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 353,611 shares of company stock worth $25,182,798 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 357,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s fuel-driven route cuts and issuance of Q2 guidance (low‑teens revenue growth, 6%–8% operating margin, $1.00–$1.50 EPS) prompted a strong market rally, signaling investors rewarded the carrier’s cost/prioritization moves. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators are listing Delta among travel-stock picks as sector sentiment rebounds, which supports demand for the shares despite headwinds. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane trimmed its price target to $81 from $85 but kept an “outperform” rating — the revised target still implies upside vs. current levels but reduces analyst enthusiasm. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s tie to Wheels Up and luxury travel initiatives is getting attention as a longer‑term revenue diversification play, though impact on near‑term results is limited. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude and jet fuel prices are pressuring all U.S. carriers and have driven broad sector weakness; contemporaneous flight delays add execution risk — these factors are directly negative for Delta’s margins. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Delta quietly removed its 2030 SAF target and softened net‑zero language on its sustainability page, which raises longer‑term regulatory/ESG risk perceptions among some investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain mixed: Delta reported a year‑over‑year revenue increase but moved to a net loss in Q1 as jet fuel costs roughly doubled — a reminder that cost inflation can offset demand recovery. Read More.

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.