Great Lakes Advisors LLC Purchases New Holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 116,730 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,933,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DAL. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 451.6% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 524 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 195.9% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 358 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway increased its Delta position. Warren Buffett’s company reportedly added to its DAL stake in the second quarter, making Delta Berkshire’s only airline holding. The purchase is a notable vote of confidence, although the filing reflects positions as of June 30 and was disclosed later. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire raises stake in world’s largest airline
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding its Austin network. New Paris and San Diego routes, additional leisure flying and more than 70 peak-day departures planned for summer 2027 could strengthen Delta’s presence in a growing market. The airline is also considering elevated hub status for Austin. Delta Expands its Austin Network With New Paris Service
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive on DAL. Delta’s average brokerage recommendation suggests a buy, and separate commentary argues that the airline’s operating structure may provide a “margin moat.” Investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be used alone. Is Delta a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other billionaire-investor activity is not a direct DAL catalyst. David Tepper’s Appaloosa disclosed new second-quarter positions in American Airlines and Boeing, but the filing does not indicate a new Delta investment. The Billionaire Famous for Betting Big on Micron Just Bought Airline Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Expanded capacity and lower-priced premium fares could pressure yields. Delta’s growth plans require sustained demand and favorable pricing, while cheaper first-class offerings may increase competition and reduce the exclusivity of premium products. New first-class fares are affordable

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.9%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $85.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.48 billion, a PE ratio of 14.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.31. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.03 and a twelve month high of $95.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $87.76 and a 200-day moving average of $75.98.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 9th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $112.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $104.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.72, for a total transaction of $3,245,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,810,718. This represents a 26.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 206,510 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.80, for a total value of $19,164,128.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,363,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,527,974.40. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 401,436 shares of company stock valued at $36,617,497. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines 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.