Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 3,434 Shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 377,903 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,434 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $22,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DAL. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 217.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 555 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $58.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $59.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.22.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In related news, SVP William C. Carroll sold 6,783 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.94, for a total value of $447,271.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,016 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $660,455.04. The trade was a 40.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 91,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.85, for a total transaction of $6,405,943.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 439,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,721,357.15. This trade represents a 17.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 162,886 shares of company stock worth $11,116,463. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Delta Air Lines Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $66.35 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.29 and a 1 year high of $69.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.81 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The transportation company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $15.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.20 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 30.43% and a net margin of 5.61%. Delta Air Lines’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Delta Air Lines’s payout ratio is 11.26%.

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.