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DADAL

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

$DAL·$60B·Airlines, Airports & Air Services·Industrials
$78.00-2.6%YTD+32.8%1Y+27.6%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-22: 9 posts2026-08-23: 18 posts154-15%
Price updated 8h ago·X counts updated 8d ago
DADAL
$DALDelta Air Lines, Inc.
$78.00-2.59%154 posts-15%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $DAL, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersCooling offAI verdict · as of 2026-09-01

Catching its breath after a run — could pick back up or fade from here.

Delta is up 33% YTD on a real earnings ramp — and coordinated August insider selling just landed the strongest distribution signal of the cycle.

Delta Air Lines is the world's most-profitable network airline — hub-and-spoke passenger transport plus a growing MRO and premium-cabin franchise. The equity has re-rated hard in 2026 on real earnings power; the tape has since coughed back some of the run.

  • Revenue growth just re-accelerated: Q1 came in at $15.9B (+13% YoY) with operating margin thin but positive at 3%, and analyst FY27 EPS estimates at $8.85 (from $6.65 FY26) reflect the expected FY27 earnings ramp.
  • Valuation is cheap for the earnings ramp: PE 11.6x TTM, price/sales 0.80x, free cash flow yield 7.5% — the combination a value manager buys on a real earnings-momentum name.
  • Insider selling in early August was heavy and coordinated: officer Sear sold $3.79M, Carter sold $3.71M, Bellemare sold $3.25M all Aug 5-6 — the largest coordinated insider distribution of the cycle, right into the recent +33% YTD rally.
  • Position sits at the 57th percentile of the 52-week range on volume 20% above normal — the tape has been consolidating rather than trending, and the S-3ASR shelf filed July 10 is a routine but present dilution mechanism.

The path forward is decided by the Oct 8 Q3 print — PRASM trajectory, premium-cabin mix, and jet-fuel cost pass-through. Another jet-fuel surprise or a soft PRASM print into the just-completed $10M+ insider distribution confirms the cooling as an intermediate top; a beat plus continued PRASM growth restarts the ramp.

Agrees with X sentimentAligned with the split — the bull case (bounce off symmetrical-triangle support, room to ~$85, average PT $107.59, Josh Brown's CNBC Halftime pick) is validated by the earnings ramp. The bear case (jet-fuel-crushing airline economics, mocking the 'AI +50% profitability' claim as easily-replicable) is legitimate but not a fundamental thesis-breaker yet.

What to watch: The Oct 8 Q3 print — PRASM trajectory, premium-cabin revenue mix, and jet-fuel cost pass-through. Another jet-fuel surprise or a soft PRASM print into the just-completed $10M+ insider distribution cluster confirms the cooling as an intermediate top; a beat plus continued PRASM growth restarts the ramp.

On the calendar: 2026-10-08 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Mixed sentiment10 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-31

Sentiment is split. Bears point to a Hedgeye 'Bearish TREND Signal,' jet fuel 'crushing airline economics,' and mock Delta's claim that 'AI can increase profitability by 50%' as something United, American, and Southwest will simply replicate. Bulls note a bounce off symmetrical-triangle trendline support with 'room up to ~$85ish' and an 'average price target of $107.59,' and Josh Brown named $DAL a CNBC Halftime final trade.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $DAL

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Operates one of the largest US airline networks with hubs in Atlanta, New York, and Seattle connecting domestic and 50+ international destinations.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Airlines, Airports & Air Services sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $DAL.

Airlines, Airports & Air Services · Industrials

Business travel recovery and international leisure demand sustain load factors; fuel hedging and capacity discipline are the margin levers. Pilot supply constraints and maintenance cost inflation are the structural cost headwinds.

What this means for $DAL

Partial — freight volumes and pricing follow trade and industrial activity; Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Industry benchmark

11-name peer basket
+24.7%YTD
-19.2%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
11.6How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
8.3%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
8.8%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
7.5%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
0.8Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
23.1%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
26.2%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.7Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 9, 2026$1.56$1.49+4.7%
Q1 2026Apr 8, 2026$0.64$0.58+10.3%
Q4 2025Jan 13, 2026$1.55$1.53+1.3%
Q3 2025Oct 9, 2025$1.71$1.57+8.9%
Next earningsThu, Oct 8·consensus EPS $2.09

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$15.9B+12.9%28.6%3.2%$-0.44$1.2B
Q4 FY25$16.0B+2.9%22.4%9.2%$1.88$1.4B
Q3 FY25$16.7B+6.4%23.5%10.1%$2.19$687.0M
Q2 FY25$16.6B-0.1%30.3%12.6%$3.29$648.0M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 11 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$66.4B$66.0B – $66.7B$6.65$5.88 – $7.239
FY27$69.1B$65.4B – $71.8B$8.85$8.40 – $10.369
FY28$72.8B$61.7B – $77.4B$10.28$9.19 – $11.1811
FY29$77.0B$71.0B – $79.9B$11.32$10.16 – $11.875
FY30$83.0B$76.4B – $86.1B$11.66$10.47 – $12.225

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.1.2×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.57%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-10.8%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.+5.7%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatHigh float · 649.6M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today0.9% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β1.315-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.FilingActive offeringA shelf registration (S-3 / S-3ASR / S-1) or prospectus supplement (424B*) was filed in the last 90 days — the company is registered to (or actively) issuing new shares. Dilution risk.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellAug 5Steven M SearEVP - Global Sales & Distrib40.5K sh$3.8MSellAug 5Michael P HuertaDirector3.1K sh$292KSellAug 4Alain BellemareEVP & Pres. - International35.0K sh$3.2MSellAug 4Edward H BastianCEO206.5K sh$19.2MSellAug 4Peter W CarterPresident39.9K sh$3.7MSellAug 3David G DewaltDirector31.8K sh$2.9MSellMay 27Allison C AusbandEVP & Chief People Officer5.0K sh$405KSellMay 27Alain BellemareEVP & Pres. - International25.0K sh$2.0MSellMay 26Allison C AusbandEVP & Chief People Officer5.0K sh$395KSellMay 22Allison C AusbandEVP & Chief People Officer9.7K sh$738K
1–10 of 14
+ 25 other (17 awards · 7 exempts · 1 inkind) in window

See when $DAL insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
Free, forever. No credit card.

SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

S-3ASRAuto-shelf registrationJul 10S-3ASR
AI summary

Delta Air Lines, Inc. filed an automatic shelf registration statement (S-3ASR) to register an unspecified amount of debt securities, warrants, common stock, preferred stock, rights, purchase contracts, and units for potential future issuance. The registration became effective automatically upon filing given Delta's well-known seasoned issuer status. This is a routine shelf registration — it establishes future capital markets flexibility for Delta but does not represent an immediate offering or dilution event.

8-KShareholder voteJun 228-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

Delta Air Lines held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 18, 2026, at which all fourteen director nominees were elected (Edward Bastian received 514.7M votes; David DeWalt received lowest support at 495.2M for vs. 21.6M against). Advisory executive compensation was approved (503.4M for vs. 13.1M against), and Ernst & Young LLP was ratified as auditors for 2026 (567.5M for). A fifth proposal was not approved per the truncated excerpt. Routine annual meeting governance; no material corporate transactions.

8-KMaterial agreementJun 128-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 2.03: Material debt obligation
AI summary

Delta Air Lines entered into a new $2.65 billion revolving credit facility on June 11, 2026 — a $1.325B 3-year tranche and a $1.325B 5-year tranche — arranged by JPMorgan Chase Bank as administrative agent, fully replacing its November 2023 credit agreement. The facility was undrawn at signing, includes up to $500M for letters of credit, and is expandable to $3.65B via accordion. This is an accretive refinancing that extends maturity, maintains maximum liquidity optionality, and confirms Delta's continued investment-grade credit market access.

SC 13D/AActivist amendmentJun 2SC 13D/A
AI summary

With filed Amendment No. 7 to Schedule 13D disclosing updated beneficial ownership in DAL (DAL). The filer reports beneficial ownership of approximately 29.9% of the company's outstanding shares (13,168,465 shares). The position is held for potential M&A activity. Schedule 13D amendments are required when a 5%-or-greater holder's ownership, intent, or plans change materially, providing transparency into concentrated positions that could influence corporate governance or trigger M&A activity.

3New insider — initial holdingsApr 63
AI summary

Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) filed a Form 3 initial statement of beneficial ownership for newly appointed Senior Vice President and Controller McConnell, who holds 17,988 shares of common stock. This routine filing establishes the baseline ownership record for the new senior finance officer within 10 days of appointment. The initial equity position reflects prior equity grants or purchases during McConnell's tenure. No derivative securities were reported.

8-KPress release / Reg FDMar 178-K — Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
8-KOfficer or director changeMar 58-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
+ 14 other (5 13Gs · 2 13Fs · 2 10-Qs · 2 earnings 8-Ks) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Beaconlight Capital LLC Invests $7.66 Million in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DALdefenseworld.net·1d agoShould You Dump Airline Stocks With the Iran War Still Simmering?fool.com·4d agoHere's Why Delta Air Lines (DAL) is a Strong Value Stockzacks.com·4d agoDelta Air Lines (DAL) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Factszacks.com·4d agoAirfares Are Up 25.5% and United Says It's Set To Increase More. Is UAL the Only Cheap Airline Stock Left?247wallst.com·5d ago

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