Navigation Group LLC Takes Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Navigation Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 15,914 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,058,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 137.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,811,787 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $958,538,000 after acquiring an additional 7,994,004 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $471,532,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 29.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,270,241 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $815,726,000 after purchasing an additional 2,773,945 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1,579.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,673,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $185,534,000 after purchasing an additional 2,514,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,155,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $426,441,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890,521 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Seaport Research Partners boosted their price objective 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. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $112.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total value of $2,036,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at $7,738,836. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

DAL stock opened at $86.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $56.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.42. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.44 and a 1 year high of $95.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.86.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 5.79%.Delta Air Lines’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $0.215 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This is an increase from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen lifted its price target on Delta Air Lines to $112 and kept a buy rating, suggesting analysts see more upside ahead. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Price Target Raised to $112.00 at TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market write-ups highlighted strong travel demand and described Delta as a momentum and value stock, which may be supporting investor confidence. Why Delta Air Lines (DAL) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Reports also noted Delta’s healthy travel demand and additional bullish coverage, reinforcing the airline’s upbeat fundamental narrative. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Gains From Healthy Travel Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta CEO Ed Bastian said cheaper jet fuel may not translate into lower airfares, implying pricing could stay firm even if fuel costs ease. Cheaper jet fuel won’t lower airfares, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian says
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching broader industry factors like geopolitical tensions and oil-price moves, which could create near-term volatility for airlines. Thanks to Escalating Iran Tensions, Delta Air Lines Stock Could Face Turbulence

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.