Insider Selling: Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP Sells 25,000 Shares of Stock

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Alain Bellemare also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, May 7th, Alain Bellemare sold 20,621 shares of Delta Air Lines stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total transaction of $1,500,177.75.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of DAL stock traded up $0.74 during trading on Thursday, reaching $82.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,685,132 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,322,021. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $69.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $54.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $45.28 and a one year high of $83.75.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 6.87% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.1875 per share. 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 10.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on DAL shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Delta Air Lines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.22.

Key Stories Impacting 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 (DAL) to $92 from $84 and kept a Buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside. TD Cowen adjusts price target on Delta Air Lines to $92 from $84, maintains Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier in the week, both TD Cowen and UBS reportedly raised their price targets on Delta, helping fuel the rally as investors responded to improving analyst sentiment. Delta (DAL) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
• Positive Sentiment: Airline stocks broadly benefited as oil prices retreated, easing fuel-cost pressure for carriers like Delta and improving near-term margin expectations. Airline stocks rally as oil retreat eases fuel cost pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta also disclosed recent insider share sales by EVP Allison Ausband, which may be viewed as routine portfolio activity but could temper enthusiasm somewhat. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) EVP Allison Ausband Sells 5,000 Shares

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 90.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 444 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,983.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1,016.0% during the third quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.