Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Stock: Valley Wealth Managers Inc. Decreases Position

Valley Wealth Managers Inc. cut its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 358,406 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 9,964 shares during the period. Delta Air Lines accounts for 1.5% of Valley Wealth Managers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. owned about 0.05% of Delta Air Lines worth $29,913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 2nd quarter worth $1,182,646,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 50.9% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,033,595 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $268,153,000 after buying an additional 1,360,195 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,779,679 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $192,900,000 after buying an additional 124,267 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,804,005 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $125,198,000 after buying an additional 428,450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the second quarter worth about $160,265,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Delta Air Lines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta reported record September-quarter revenue of approximately $17.6 billion, up 21.1% year over year, reflecting resilient passenger demand, healthy yields and strength in its premium business. Management said bookings remain strong and expects revenue to grow about 20% in the December quarter. Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects higher fares to help offset elevated fuel expenses and projects approximately $2.5 billion of 2026 free cash flow, while targeting more than $2 billion of debt repayment. These plans support Delta’s balance-sheet and shareholder-return narrative. Delta Air Lines cuts 2026 forecast on fuel surge, but CEO says demand is still strong
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly favorable, including a Buy rating from Morgan Stanley. Call-option activity was also above normal, suggesting some traders continue to anticipate a recovery despite the guidance reduction.
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the company can absorb roughly $6 billion in additional fuel costs and sees no meaningful deterioration in travel demand. However, the timing and persistence of fuel-price relief remain uncertain. Delta Air Lines cuts profit forecast as fuel costs outpace fare gains
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $1.72, below the $1.77 consensus, while revenue also narrowly missed estimates. The earnings miss was Delta’s first in roughly two years and indicates that rising costs are already pressuring margins.
• Negative Sentiment: Jet-fuel expense increased more than 60% year over year, overwhelming revenue gains. Delta cut 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.10–$5.60 from $6.50–$7.50; fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $1.15–$1.65 and revenue guidance of $17.5 billion were also below consensus. DAL Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates as Higher Fuel Costs Hurt Margins

Analyst Ratings Changes

DAL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $101.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Delta Air Lines from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael P. Huerta sold 3,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $291,741.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 32,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,060,927.75. This trade represents a 8.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 40,460 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.55, for a total transaction of $3,785,033.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,766,994.20. This trade represents a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 356,726 shares of company stock valued at $33,081,037. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE:DAL opened at $82.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50-day moving average is $83.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.84. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.03 and a 1-year high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.65 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. Analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.2150 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.26%.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline that provides scheduled passenger and air freight transportation. The company serves destinations throughout the United States and connects customers to international markets across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean through its own operations and regional airline partners.

Delta offers multiple classes of passenger service, including premium cabins and its main cabin, along with travel-related products such as vacation packages and loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles program.