Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $75.83.

A number of research firms have recently commented on DAL. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $50.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 0.1 %

Delta Air Lines stock opened at $59.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $61.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.41. Delta Air Lines has a fifty-two week low of $36.34 and a fifty-two week high of $67.50.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 10th. The transportation company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $15.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.65 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 29.93% and a net margin of 7.71%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. Analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 3,431 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.46, for a total transaction of $173,128.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 108,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,499,635.40. This represents a 3.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP William C. Carroll sold 21,530 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.62, for a total value of $1,305,148.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,756 shares in the company, valued at $1,197,608.72. This represents a 52.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,240 shares of company stock valued at $8,044,893. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines during the second quarter worth $36,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo.