Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Price Target Lowered to $73.00 at Wolfe Research

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its target price decreased by Wolfe Research from $81.00 to $73.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,MarketScreener reports. Wolfe Research currently has an outperform rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $81.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.43.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.6%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $65.69 on Tuesday. Delta Air Lines has a 1-year low of $35.46 and a 1-year high of $76.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $66.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were issued 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 currently 9.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,835,520.20. This trade represents a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,212 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total transaction of $2,647,942.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,390,835.20. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 over the last 90 days. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake 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.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s structural advantage — its Trainer refinery and management’s ability to keep guidance intact — is cited as a reason the airline has held up better than peers and could outperform when oil normalizes.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings bullish commentary highlights stronger demand from wealthier customers and positive web interest in Delta versus peers; traders are optimistic ahead of the report. Ca$htag$: DAL “Pretty Strong” Pre-Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: heavy call buying (about 164,712 calls traded) suggests some market participants are positioned for an upside post-earnings move.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta reports Q1 results Wednesday and options-implied volatility is elevated; analysts and street commentary frame the print as a potential catalyst that could produce a sizable stock move. Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Delta joined other carriers in a $10 increase to checked-bag fees as management looks to offset a sharp jump in jet fuel costs tied to the Iran conflict — the fee hike signals higher operating costs and has pressured the stock today. Delta raises checked bag fees
• Negative Sentiment: Jet fuel supply concerns and soaring fuel prices are prompting flight cuts, surcharges and fee increases across the industry — a clear near-term headwind for margins. Jet fuel supply concerns grow
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research trimmed its price target on DAL from $81 to $73 while keeping an outperform rating, a modest signal of tempered upside expectations ahead of earnings. Wolfe Research price target change

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.