Edward Bastian Sells 100,000 Shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) CEO Edward Bastian sold 100,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $7,026,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,363,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. This trade represents a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 6.9%

DAL stock opened at $65.66 on Friday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $34.74 and a one year high of $76.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $69.83 and its 200 day moving average is $64.03. The firm has a market cap of $42.89 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.37.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 90.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 184.6% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 572 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, SWAN Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% in the 3rd quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. 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 announced another order to refresh its narrowbody fleet with 34 Airbus A321neo jets — these newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft improve unit costs and premium-seat capacity over time, supporting margin expansion and premium revenue potential. Delta orders 34 more Airbus A321neo jets in fleet renewal push
• Positive Sentiment: Management is also pursuing wider fleet growth (widebody expansion) to chase long‑haul and premium demand — a structural growth push that can boost long‑term revenue per available seat mile if executed well. Delta Air Lines Aims at Fleet Growth: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Yesterday Delta closed higher, reflecting recent operational strength and beat/guide context from January earnings, but that momentum was overtaken by today’s macro cost shock. Why the Market Dipped But Delta Air Lines (DAL) Gained Today
• Negative Sentiment: Crude oil surged today, pushing jet‑fuel expectations higher — investors fear rising fuel costs will compress airline margins and earnings, driving broad sector weakness and heavy selling in Delta shares. Why Delta (DAL) Shares Are Getting Obliterated Today
• Negative Sentiment: Sectorwide jet‑fuel pressure also hit low‑cost peers (e.g., Frontier), signaling the move is macro/commodity‑driven rather than company‑specific — that increases downside risk across airline stocks, including DAL. Why Frontier (ULCC) Shares Are Sliding Today
• Negative Sentiment: Delta CEO Edward Bastian sold 100,000 shares in a disclosed transaction last week — while insider sales can be routine, the timing contributes to negative sentiment when paired with sector pain. SEC filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Dbs Bank upgraded Delta Air Lines to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Evercore increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.47.

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.