Great Lakes Advisors LLC Invests $10.93 Million in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 116,730 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,933,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,955,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway increased its Delta position. Warren Buffett’s company reportedly added to its DAL stake in the second quarter, making Delta Berkshire’s only airline holding. The purchase is a notable vote of confidence, although the filing reflects positions as of June 30 and was disclosed later. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire raises stake in world’s largest airline
• Positive Sentiment: Delta is expanding its Austin network. New Paris and San Diego routes, additional leisure flying and more than 70 peak-day departures planned for summer 2027 could strengthen Delta’s presence in a growing market. The airline is also considering elevated hub status for Austin. Delta Expands its Austin Network With New Paris Service
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive on DAL. Delta’s average brokerage recommendation suggests a buy, and separate commentary argues that the airline’s operating structure may provide a “margin moat.” Investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be used alone. Is Delta a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other billionaire-investor activity is not a direct DAL catalyst. David Tepper’s Appaloosa disclosed new second-quarter positions in American Airlines and Boeing, but the filing does not indicate a new Delta investment. The Billionaire Famous for Betting Big on Micron Just Bought Airline Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Expanded capacity and lower-priced premium fares could pressure yields. Delta’s growth plans require sustained demand and favorable pricing, while cheaper first-class offerings may increase competition and reduce the exclusivity of premium products. New first-class fares are affordable

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DAL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Argus set a $105.00 target price on Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” 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 given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DAL opened at $85.88 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $56.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $87.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.98. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $55.03 and a one year high of $95.68.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. Delta Air Lines’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, President Peter W. Carter sold 39,900 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total value of $3,709,902.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 424,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,488,977.92. The trade was a 8.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael P. Huerta sold 3,100 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $291,741.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,060,927.75. The trade was a 8.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 401,436 shares of company stock worth $36,617,497. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.