Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $75.83.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DAL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $58.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas upgraded Delta Air Lines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $65.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 3,431 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.46, for a total value of $173,128.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 108,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,499,635.40. The trade was a 3.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 7,510 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.62, for a total transaction of $470,276.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,897 shares in the company, valued at $3,688,130.14. This trade represents a 11.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,240 shares of company stock worth $8,044,893 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DAL. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the third quarter worth $31,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE DAL opened at $62.77 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $40.50 billion, a PE ratio of 8.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $58.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.99. Delta Air Lines has a twelve month low of $36.34 and a twelve month high of $67.50.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 10th. The transportation company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.02). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 29.93% and a net margin of 7.71%. The company had revenue of $15.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.33%.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo.