Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price objective upped by Jefferies Financial Group from $72.00 to $78.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 14.86% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Argus set a $80.00 price target on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.80.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE DAL opened at $67.91 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. Delta Air Lines has a fifty-two week low of $34.74 and a fifty-two week high of $76.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $66.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.45. The stock has a market cap of $44.35 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.30.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,469,499.02. This trade represents a 74.91% 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 Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,835,520.20. This trade represents a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,211,101 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,680,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012,265 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,163,644 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,607,557,000 after buying an additional 165,729 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,413,841 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,215,766,000 after buying an additional 202,865 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 137.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $958,538,000 after buying an additional 7,994,004 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,310,804 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $854,370,000 after buying an additional 56,455 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta signed a major deal with Amazon to install Leo satellite internet on hundreds of planes (initial rollout of ~500 jets starting in 2028), which should improve passenger experience, ancillary revenue potential and competitiveness versus Starlink. Delta taps Amazon Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi
• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s SkyMiles was ranked the world’s most valuable airline loyalty program (~$31B), supporting high-margin loyalty economics and long-term cash generation. SkyMiles valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $78 (maintained Buy), signaling incremental analyst conviction on upside. Jefferies raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and commentary note that Wall Street remains confident in Delta despite elevated oil prices, which supports the stock’s resilience. Wall Street confidence despite oil
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America trimmed its PT to $78 from $80 but kept a Buy rating — a modest tweak rather than a negative reassessment. BofA adjusts PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Raymond James lowered its PT to $76 from $80 but retained a Strong‑Buy — another slight PT haircut while keeping a bullish stance. Raymond James adjusts PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage shows an average analyst view of “Moderate Buy,” indicating consensus support but not unanimous conviction. Analyst consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and intraday data noted the stock moved higher in recent sessions, reflecting these factors and active trading. Zacks market note
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks earnings preview warns Delta may lack the right mix of revenue and cost beats to outperform in the upcoming report, flagging near-term downside risk around the next earnings print. Earnings preview

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.