Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC Has $3.41 Million Position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)

Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,826 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 850 shares during the period. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $3,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Delta Air Lines by 8.7% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,839,122 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $401,048,000 after buying an additional 865,746 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,091,528 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $188,514,000 after purchasing an additional 743,882 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,966,330 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $183,754,000 after purchasing an additional 145,513 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,813,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $178,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022,957 shares during the period. Finally, U S Global Investors Inc. lifted its stake in Delta Air Lines by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 4,434,509 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $178,400,000 after purchasing an additional 773,636 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In related news, President Glen W. Hauenstein sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $4,905,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 217,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,672,495.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, President Glen W. Hauenstein sold 100,000 shares of Delta Air Lines 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 completion of the sale, the president now owns 217,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,672,495.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 24,073 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total transaction of $1,176,206.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,451 shares in the company, valued at $6,911,295.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 174,073 shares of company stock worth $8,581,207 over the last three months. 0.89% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of DAL traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $50.66. The stock had a trading volume of 1,447,727 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,751,954. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.60 and a 12 month high of $50.74. The business has a fifty day moving average of $45.61 and a 200 day moving average of $40.52. The firm has a market cap of $32.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.43, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.38.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The transportation company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $13.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.51 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 41.89% and a net margin of 8.48%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DAL has been the topic of several recent research reports. TheStreet raised shares of Delta Air Lines from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Delta Air Lines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Delta Air Lines in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $59.00 price target on the stock. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $58.29.

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.