Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 419,483 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 28,938 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $27,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 57,011 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,735,000 after buying an additional 672 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the first quarter valued at approximately $186,000. W Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the first quarter worth approximately $201,000. Cvfg LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines in the first quarter worth approximately $1,330,000. Finally, Flatrock Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the first quarter worth $235,000. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $737,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,552,904. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 95,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,738,836. The trade was a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,331 shares of company stock valued at $5,036,638. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on DAL shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $92.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.38.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock opened at $86.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.29. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $81.46 and a 200 day moving average of $72.65. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.44 and a 12 month high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The business had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is 14.26%.

Delta Air Lines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta reaffirmed its full-year outlook after reporting stronger-than-expected Q2 results, reinforcing the view that earnings remain resilient despite higher fuel costs. Bank of America kept a Buy rating and said the earnings beat supports Delta’s valuation. Delta Air Lines earnings resilience supports valuation, Bank of America says
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets after the earnings release, citing a better revenue mix, premium demand, and improved outlook for cash flow and margins. JPMorgan reportedly lifted its target to $114 and maintained an overweight view. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Delta Air Following Upbeat Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around Delta’s premium product, loyalty growth, and durable demand suggests the airline is becoming more resilient and less dependent on basic fares, which investors often view as a higher-quality earnings mix. Delta Air Lines Stock Outlook as Premium Demand Fuels Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Management emphasized disciplined capacity, stronger pricing, and diversified revenue streams, but also acknowledged record fuel expense and ongoing margin pressure, leaving the near-term setup balanced. DAL Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Durable Demand, Firm Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage warns that fuel, labor, and capacity risks could limit upside, while geopolitical tensions and broader airline-sector concerns may create short-term turbulence for DAL shares. Thanks to Escalating Iran Tensions, Delta Air Lines Stock Could Face Turbulence. How to Trade It Here.

Delta Air Lines 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.