Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.000-2.500 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 1.860. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.3 billion. Delta Air Lines also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.500-7.500 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 1.8%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $88.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $58.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.43. Delta Air Lines has a 12 month low of $50.44 and a 12 month high of $95.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 10th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.55 billion. Delta Air Lines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.500 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 5.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.215 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $75.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research dropped their price target on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.60.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $1,074,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,364.09. This represents a 21.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $737,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 80,331 shares of company stock valued at $6,110,788 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta beat second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, showing demand and pricing remain better than expected.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year profit guidance and issued a stronger third-quarter outlook, reducing concern that fares will weaken as fuel costs ease.
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its dividend and continued paying down debt, which may appeal to income-focused and long-term investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s new “basic business” fare options could help broaden premium-cabin demand, but the longer-term revenue impact is still unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent airline stocks have also faced pressure from higher oil prices and geopolitical tension, which can raise fuel-cost worries for DAL.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Compound Planning Inc. increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 15,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after buying an additional 10,672 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 567.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 976,894 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $67,796,000 after acquiring an additional 830,424 shares in the last quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter valued at about $230,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 255,127 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $17,706,000 after acquiring an additional 23,880 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 17,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,181,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.