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

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the twenty-three research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $80.4667.

DAL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus set a $80.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, December 19th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

DAL stock opened at $75.38 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.43. 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 has a 12-month low of $34.74 and a 12-month high of $75.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.22 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.37.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.99% and a net margin of 7.90%.The company’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. 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, research analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, insider Peter W. Carter sold 14,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.30, for a total transaction of $1,005,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 177,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,453,082.60. This represents a 7.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Erik Storey Snell sold 39,420 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.02, for a total transaction of $2,799,608.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,625 shares in the company, valued at $2,530,087.50. This trade represents a 52.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 419,738 shares of company stock worth $29,536,655. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,317 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,427 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Evoke Wealth LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 13,754 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 23,095 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after buying an additional 9,241 shares during the period. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 5,859 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 1,292 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Airbus widebody order and fleet modernization — Delta’s plan to buy 31 Airbus widebody jets reinforces a long‑term growth and international capacity strategy, which supports revenue potential and investor confidence. Where is Delta Air Lines (DAL) Headed According to the Street?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reinstatement/continuation — Delta declared a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 per share (annualized yield ~1.1%), which supports shareholder returns and can attract income‑oriented investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong recent price momentum and analyst attention — Coverage notes DAL has gained ~31% over six months and is being actively discussed by investors and some hedge funds as potentially undervalued, which can fuel further buying. DAL Gains 31% in 6 Months
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed valuation commentary — Recent pieces debate whether current pricing fully reflects long‑term travel demand and cash‑flow outlook; views on fair value conflict, keeping some investors on the sidelines until clarity improves. Assessing Delta Air Lines (DAL) Valuation Is Delta Air Lines (DAL) Pricing Reflect Long Term Travel Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending / investor education coverage — Multiple outlets (Zacks, others) are flagging DAL as a trending stock and publishing primers on risks/rewards; this increases retail attention but doesn’t change fundamentals by itself. Trending Stock: Facts to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings mix — The company recently beat EPS expectations modestly but missed revenue estimates, which makes near‑term results ambiguous for investors and shifts focus to guidance and margin outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale — EVP Rahul Samant sold 62,528 shares (~$4.39M) at an average $70.18, cutting his direct stake by ~75%. Large insider selling can be perceived negatively or as tax/planned liquidity; it added short‑term selling pressure. SEC Filing: Insider Sale

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.