Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) had its price target raised by equities researchers at UBS Group from $84.00 to $86.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 26.64% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on DAL. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus raised their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.14.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 0.2%

Delta Air Lines stock traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $67.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 11,606,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,352,054. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $66.52 and its 200 day moving average is $64.73. The company has a market cap of $44.35 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34. Delta Air Lines has a 52-week low of $38.66 and a 52-week high of $76.39.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.70 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total value of $4,388,215.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,469,499.02. The trade was a 74.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 36,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.21, for a total value of $2,491,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,625,542.51. This represents a 27.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 620,550 shares of company stock worth $44,127,667 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter worth approximately $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $555,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its position in Delta Air Lines by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 30,494 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,500,000 after buying an additional 1,596 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 357,825 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 demand and refinery offset — Delta reported robust passenger revenue and cited its Trainer refinery as providing up to ~$300M of potential Q2 benefit, helping investors look through some fuel pain. Delta March Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift targets / favorable analyst tone — Multiple firms raised price targets or maintained buy/strong-buy ratings this morning (TD Cowen, Raymond James, Argus, Citi), reinforcing buy-side momentum and implying mid‑teens to mid‑20% upside from current levels. Raymond James Raises PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro tailwind from de‑escalation in the Middle East — News of a temporary ceasefire pushed oil lower, helping airline sentiment broadly; that move supports Delta’s near‑term revenue outlook but is contingent on the ceasefire holding. Markets React to Ceasefire
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and bullish technical/ dividend stories — Several pieces argue Delta’s premium positioning, capital returns and institutional accumulation support a constructive multi‑month view (speculative upside to new highs). Delta Air Lines Gains Altitude
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 earnings guidance cut — Delta updated June‑quarter EPS guidance to $1.00–$1.50 vs. a consensus near $2.09, a clear near‑term earnings disappointment that pressures the stock until the fuel outlook stabilizes. Delta Q1 Results & Q2 Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel shock and capacity cuts — Management warned of more than $2B of incremental jet‑fuel expense for Q2, is cutting capacity growth and raising baggage fees to offset costs — these are margin headwinds that increase earnings variability. Delta CEO Comments on Fuel Shock

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.