Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) Short Interest Down 8.0% in November

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 32,390,000 shares, a drop of 8.0% from the November 15th total of 35,190,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,500,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE DAL traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $61.05. 6,008,251 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,204,549. The company has a market cap of $39.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.35. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $59.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Delta Air Lines has a one year low of $36.34 and a one year high of $67.50.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 10th. The transportation company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.02). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 29.93% and a net margin of 7.71%. The company had revenue of $15.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In related news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 3,431 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.46, for a total transaction of $173,128.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 108,990 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,499,635.40. The trade was a 3.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP William C. Carroll sold 21,530 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.62, for a total transaction of $1,305,148.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,756 shares in the company, valued at $1,197,608.72. This trade represents a 52.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,240 shares of company stock worth $8,044,893 over the last 90 days. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 27,841,592 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,414,074,000 after buying an additional 749,099 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 2.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,501,936 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $789,452,000 after acquiring an additional 416,338 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 12.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,933,785 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $471,330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105,674 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines during the third quarter worth $281,206,000. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines during the 3rd quarter valued at $189,296,000. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DAL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on Delta Air Lines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $59.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $50.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.83.

Delta Air Lines Company 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.