Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $69.73 and last traded at $69.37, with a volume of 140886 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $68.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DAL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.22.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $43.50 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average is $63.06 and its 200 day moving average is $52.94.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The transportation company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 30.43%. The firm had revenue of $15.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.53, for a total value of $585,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 64,163 shares in the company, valued at $3,755,460.39. The trade was a 13.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 68,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total value of $3,830,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 439,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,775,004.27. This trade represents a 13.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 217,429 shares of company stock worth $13,755,259. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines during the 4th quarter worth $128,000. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $423,000. Caprock Group LLC grew its stake in Delta Air Lines by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 13,654 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Delta Air Lines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 216,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,106,000 after buying an additional 23,169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.93% of the company’s stock.

About Delta Air Lines

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.