Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Rating Lowered by TD Cowen

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) was downgraded by research analysts at TD Cowen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $81.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.93.

Delta Air Lines Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $59.08 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.12. The company has a market cap of $38.59 billion, a PE ratio of 7.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines has a fifty-two week low of $34.74 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted 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 net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Delta Air Lines’s quarterly 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 anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total value of $4,388,215.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,469,499.02. The trade was a 74.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Erik Storey Snell sold 39,420 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,530,087.50. This trade represents a 52.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 in the last quarter. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the first quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the second quarter worth approximately $555,000. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 9.7% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,179 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,287,000 after buying an additional 2,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC grew its position in Delta Air Lines by 6.6% in the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 169,997 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,360,000 after buying an additional 10,525 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta will present at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference on March 17, giving management a platform to update guidance, network plans and fuel/cost outlook — a potential catalyst for sentiment if commentary is constructive. Delta Air Lines to Present at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish on Delta’s mid/long-term fundamentals and earnings power despite recent weakness; that ongoing conviction can support a valuation rebound if macro/geopolitical pressures ease. Is Delta Air Lines Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: recent write-ups note DAL’s sharp pullback has made the stock more attractive on metrics vs. recent highs, but highlight a split between short-term risk and longer-term returns. Is Delta Air Lines (DAL) Pricing Look Attractive After Recent Share Price Weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary flags that DAL has underperformed indexes recently; that underperformance can amplify both downside and upside moves as investors reprice risk. Is Delta Air Lines Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded Delta from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” lowering near‑term expectations and putting additional selling pressure on the name. TD Cowen Has Lowered Expectations for Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: Middle East airspace closures and canceled routes, plus surging jet‑fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict, are pressuring industry revenue and margins — a primary driver of the recent sector selloff. Major airline canceling Middle East flights ‘until later this year’
• Negative Sentiment: Sector analyst cuts and rising short‑term volatility after the Iran attacks have pressured airline stocks broadly; Delta is being re‑rated lower along with peers until fuel and demand visibility improve. Stock Market Today, March 10: American Airlines Falls After Analysts Cut Price Targets on Sector Pressures

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.