Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL Shares Sold by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,525,241 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 843,610 shares during the quarter. Delta Air Lines accounts for about 2.1% of Sanders Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 4.52% of Delta Air Lines worth $1,675,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DAL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,572,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,667,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648,071 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 23.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,661,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $434,813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,058 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 16,044.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,263,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $71,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,495 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 23.6% during the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,860,710 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $219,095,000 after purchasing an additional 736,342 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 39.8% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,407,585 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $118,409,000 after purchasing an additional 685,312 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies cut its price target to $72 but retained a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst conviction in Delta’s longer‑term recovery and implying upside from current levels. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Given New $72.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group
• Positive Sentiment: Citi put Delta on a 30‑day “positive catalyst watch,” highlighting potential near‑term bullish catalysts (refinery edge, trans‑Atlantic demand) that could support the stock. Citi Research puts Delta and SkyWest on 30‑day positive catalyst watch
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reporting notes that credit‑card partnerships and upfront cash from co‑branded cards are reshaping airline loyalty economics and improving non‑fare profit streams — a tailwind for Delta’s margins and cash flow. Credit‑card cash reshapes US airline loyalty — and profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn trimmed its price target to $70 but kept a Buy rating, reflecting mixed views: confidence in Delta’s fundamentals but recognition of near‑term capacity and margin pressure. Rothschild & Co Redburn Lowers Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) Price Target to $70
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage weighing valuation: some outlets argue the pullback makes DAL attractive versus historic ranges, while others flag the stock’s YTD weakness — a reminder that consensus upside still coexists with risk. Is Delta Air Lines Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Negative Sentiment: Delta extended a pause on New York–Tel Aviv flights through month‑end amid regional volatility, reducing international capacity and near‑term revenue on that route. Delta extends pause on New York‑Tel Aviv flights through month‑end
• Negative Sentiment: Oil has surged toward $100/barrel, prompting sectorwide downdrafts as fuel costs and perceived travel risk rise — a primary immediate headwind for airline margins and stock performance. Airline Stocks Were Pricing 2026 Like A Runway—Oil Just Made It A Cliff Edge
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded Delta to a “Hold,” adding to mixed sell‑side signals and increasing short‑term sentiment pressure. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Cut to “Hold” at TD Cowen

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 1.5%

DAL opened at $58.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a PE ratio of 7.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.74 and a twelve month high of $76.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.96% and a net margin of 7.90%.The company had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Delta Air Lines’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is currently 9.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on DAL. Dbs Bank raised Delta Air Lines to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $84.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Seaport Research Partners raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Delta Air Lines from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.43.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $2,896,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,835,520.20. The trade was a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total value of $7,026,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,363,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,795,856.48. This represents a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 620,550 shares of company stock valued at $44,127,667 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

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.