Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Shares Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,106 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,053 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $567,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Navalign LLC raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Navalign LLC now owns 17,402 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $700,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Summit X LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 1.1% during the third quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 28,205 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,044,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 13,922 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $560,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 18,056 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $730,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of Delta Air Lines stock opened at $52.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $46.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.71, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.38. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.60 and a 52 week high of $53.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.41.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The transportation company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.09. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 41.89%. The business had revenue of $13.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.61 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DAL shares. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $59.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.29.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In related news, President Glen W. Hauenstein sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total value of $4,905,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 217,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,672,495.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Delta Air Lines news, Director Willie Cw Chiang acquired 10,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $49.50 per share, for a total transaction of $495,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,000. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Glen W. Hauenstein sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $4,905,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 217,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,672,495.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 174,073 shares of company stock worth $8,581,207 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.89% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines 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.