Allison Ausband Sells 5,000 Shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) EVP Allison Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total transaction of $367,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,769. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 2.9%

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $81.66 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $53.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $83.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $69.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.72.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Compass Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Compass Capital Management Inc. now owns 128,663 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,844 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 375.0% during the 1st quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,058 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 11,888 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth approximately $105,000. Royal Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,675,000. Finally, Ariadne Wealth Management LP grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Ariadne Wealth Management LP now owns 3,782 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DAL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.89.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen and UBS both raised their price targets on Delta, reinforcing confidence that the airline’s earnings outlook and valuation can improve. Delta (DAL) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
• Positive Sentiment: UBS lifted its target to $98 and kept a buy rating, citing a more constructive sector outlook; other recent analyst notes also leaned positive for airline profits and stock performance. Why Some Experts Say Airline Profits—and Stocks—Are About To Take Off
• Positive Sentiment: Falling oil prices are easing jet-fuel cost pressure across the airline group, which is helping airline stocks rally broadly. Airline stocks rally as oil retreat eases fuel cost pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta’s executive vice president Allison Ausband disclosed recent stock sales. Insider selling can create some caution, but the transactions were relatively modest compared with Delta’s market value. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP Allison Ausband Sells 5,000 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is also working to improve operations after a rise in flight cancellations, which could matter for summer travel demand, but this is more of an execution issue than an immediate catalyst. Delta’s Flight Cancellations Have Mounted, and It’s Staffing Up to Improve

Delta Air Lines Company 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.