Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Shares of 33,100 Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 33,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,200,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 4,721 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $737,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 69,304 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.15, for a total value of $4,723,067.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,369 shares in the company, valued at $4,727,497.35. This represents a 49.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 149,635 shares of company stock worth $10,833,855 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seaport Research Partners upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Argus raised their price target on Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $79.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.26.

More Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Delta Air Lines and reaffirmed a Buy rating ahead of the expected airline earnings season, signaling confidence in upcoming results. Citi Lifts Delta Air Lines (DAL) Target Ahead of Expected Strong Airline Earnings Season
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy rating and lifted its target to $107, implying additional upside from current levels and reinforcing the bullish analyst view on DAL. This is Why Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) is a Top Stock to Buy Now for Good Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is approaching its July 9 ex-dividend date and is being highlighted in dividend-stock roundups, which may support investor interest but is not a major fundamental catalyst by itself. 5 Best July Dividend Stocks to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary also notes Delta’s sizable one-year rally, which may lead some investors to question whether more upside remains after the stock’s strong appreciation. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Stock After 88% One-Year Rally Is There Still Upside Potential
• Negative Sentiment: A report describing a rough flight with injuries could add a small overhang to sentiment, though it appears more headline-driven than fundamentally material. “2 ½ Minutes of Terror”: Delta Air Lines Stock (NYSE:DAL) Slips After Rough Flight With Injuries

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 0.6%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $93.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $77.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.27. The company has a market capitalization of $61.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.30. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.24 and a 52 week high of $95.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The company had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. Delta Air Lines’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is 12.54%.

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.