Inceptionr LLC Takes $709,000 Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 10,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $709,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 28,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 52,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 6,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $454,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 4,644 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Delta Air Lines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delta continues to draw investor interest as a major U.S. carrier with a strong Atlanta hub and ongoing travel demand support, which can help keep sentiment constructive around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Delta has also been trading with relatively low implied volatility, suggesting options are inexpensive and that traders may be positioning for a move higher or a stable range. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Delta reportedly outperformed other airline stocks even as the broader group weakened, indicating relative strength rather than a clear company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising jet fuel prices are pressuring U.S. airline earnings forecasts, and Delta has already flagged fuel expense as a key margin headwind, which is weighing on airline shares. Article Title

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of DAL opened at $85.07 on Friday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.44 and a 52-week high of $95.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.56. The company has a market capitalization of $55.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.29.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The transportation company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.43 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 17.52%. The company’s revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DAL. Argus set a $105.00 price target on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $85.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.40.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Allison C. Ausband sold 9,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $737,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 138,854 shares in the company, valued at $10,552,904. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.44, for a total transaction of $2,036,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,738,836. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 65,331 shares of company stock worth $5,036,638 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.