Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 294.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 484,237 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 361,352 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $32,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines during the first quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Econ Financial Services Corp lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 49.4% during the first quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 68,743 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,570,000 after buying an additional 22,718 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 3.8% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,586 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $371,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the 1st quarter valued at $2,200,000. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 13,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $885,000 after acquiring an additional 2,613 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Seaport Research Partners raised their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. HSBC cut their target price on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $87.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.26.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of DAL stock opened at $93.10 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $77.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.27. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.24 and a 1-year high of $95.14. The company has a market cap of $61.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $0.215 dividend. This is a boost from Delta Air Lines’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.54%.

Trending Headlines about Delta Air Lines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Delta Air Lines and reaffirmed a Buy rating ahead of the expected airline earnings season, signaling confidence in upcoming results. Citi Lifts Delta Air Lines (DAL) Target Ahead of Expected Strong Airline Earnings Season
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy rating and lifted its target to $107, implying additional upside from current levels and reinforcing the bullish analyst view on DAL. This is Why Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) is a Top Stock to Buy Now for Good Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta is approaching its July 9 ex-dividend date and is being highlighted in dividend-stock roundups, which may support investor interest but is not a major fundamental catalyst by itself. 5 Best July Dividend Stocks to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary also notes Delta’s sizable one-year rally, which may lead some investors to question whether more upside remains after the stock’s strong appreciation. Delta Air Lines (DAL) Stock After 88% One-Year Rally Is There Still Upside Potential
• Negative Sentiment: A report describing a rough flight with injuries could add a small overhang to sentiment, though it appears more headline-driven than fundamentally material. “2 ½ Minutes of Terror”: Delta Air Lines Stock (NYSE:DAL) Slips After Rough Flight With Injuries

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 133,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,574,466. This trade represents a 3.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 15,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $1,074,150.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,364.09. The trade was a 21.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 149,635 shares of company stock worth $10,833,855 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Company 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.