Delta Air Lines (DAL) Reports Record Revenue but Cuts Earnings Guidance. Can Profits Recover?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) has cut its 2026 earnings forecast despite reporting record third-quarter revenue, as ...
Model output · Signal date 2026-10-16
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) Stock Forecast Oct. 16, 2026
Analysis updated on Oct. 16, 2026 (UTC) · Total · absolute moveSwitch to Alpha · NYSE
Rating · 90D
Total
90-day forecast
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30-day forecast
Total
Rank in coverage
Middle 30%
of 5172 stocks scored
Rank correlation · 90D
42.0%
Spearman, 357 dates
Market Cap
$49.57B
large-cap · #1 of 13 peers
Summary
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) stock forecast summary
On Oct. 16, 2026, DAL is rated Neutral: its 90-day Total forecast sits in the middle 30% of the 5172 stocks scored that day.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a large-cap company with a market capitalization of $49.57B. It ranks number 1 by market capitalization among the 13 Air Transportation, Scheduled issuers in our coverage with a current forecast. Its Current Ratio of 0.40x is the lowest of the 11 peers that report one.
For DAL, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 42.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 5.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
Expected absolute price move over the horizon, market included. This is the number a price target is built from. Ratings: strong buy ≥ +5.0%, buy ≥ +3.4%, sell < +1.8%, strong sell < +0.8% (top 15%, next 20%, middle 30%, next 20%, bottom 15% of the 2026-10-16 signals)
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DAL price chart and AI forecast
Cross-section · 2026-10-16
How DAL ranks among 5172 stocks
90D Total forecasts of every company scored, cut into five relative ratings at the 15th, 35th, 65th and 85th percentiles (dashed lines).
Fundamentals · 2026-09-30
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) fundamentals
Trailing twelve months. The industry median and the rank (1 = highest) are taken over the Air Transportation, Scheduled peers listed below that report each metric.
Valuation & Market
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $49.57B | 1/13 |
| P/E Ratio | 14.04x | 5/6 |
| P/B Ratio | 2.20x | 3/8 |
| Dividend Yield | 1.04% | – |
| EPS | $5.37 | – |
| Book Value/Share | $34.23 | – |
| Revenue/Share | $109.18 | – |
Profitability & Margins
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ROE | 14.6% | 2/6 |
| ROA | 3.8% | 2/7 |
| ROIC | 10.1% | 2/7 |
| Operating Margin | 7.4% | 4/9 |
| Net Margin | 4.6% | 2/6 |
| EBT Margin | 6.1% | 3/9 |
| Tax Rate | 24.9% | – |
Financial Health
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.40x | 11/11 |
| D/E Ratio | 2.82x | 6/10 |
| Financial Leverage | 3.82x | 5/8 |
| Interest Coverage | 1.7x | 3/8 |
| Working Capital | -$20.09B | 11/11 |
Cash Flow
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $8.00B | 3/9 |
| OCF Growth YoY | 0.3% | 4/6 |
Operational Efficiency
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Turnover | 0.83x | 4/7 |
| Receivables Turnover | 16.6x | 7/7 |
| Fixed Assets Turnover | 1.7x | 4/9 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 22 days | 1/7 |
Income Statement
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $71.80B | 1/9 |
| Operating Income | $5.29B | 2/9 |
| Net Income | $3.29B | 2/7 |
Dividend & Shareholder Information
| Metric | DAL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends Per Share | $0.78 | – |
| Payout Ratio | 14.5% | – |
| Shares Outstanding | 658M | – |
| Net Income Growth | -29.0% | 2/5 |
| EPS Growth | -20.9% | 3/6 |
Balance Sheet Highlights (USD millions)
| Total Current Assets | $13.49B | 15.7% of assets |
| Cash & Short-term Investments | $3.79B | 4.4% of assets |
| Accounts Receivable | $4.33B | 5.0% of assets |
| Total Liabilities | $63.53B | 73.8% of assets |
| Short-term Debt | $26.98B | 31.4% of assets |
Quarterly Financial Reports
DAL quarterly financials and insider trading
Industry Peers · Air Transportation, Scheduled
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) industry peers
Companies classified under the same SEC industry code as Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Air Transportation, Scheduled): 13 common-stock issuers with a forecast this week, one row per issuer, largest first. This is a classification match, not a curated list of competitors.
Reveal all forecasts · See exact % predictions for all competitors
Sign up free| Company | 90-Day AI Forecast (Total) | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| DAL Delta Air Lines, Inc. | ▶ | $49.57B |
| UAL United Airlines Holdings, Inc. | ▲ | $31.19B |
| RYAAY Ryanair Holdings Plc | ▶ | $27.42B |
| LUV Southwest Airlines Co | ▶ | $19.32B |
| LTM Latam Airlines Group S.A. | ▶ | $13.63B |
| AAL American Airlines Group Inc. | ▲ | $7.86B |
| CPA Copa Holdings, S.A. | ▶ | $5.47B |
| ALK Alaska Air Group, Inc. | ▲ | $3.92B |
| ALGT Allegiant Travel Co | ▲ | $1.83B |
| AZUL Azul Sa | ▼ | $1.17B |
| ULCC Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. | ▲ | $1.08B |
| RJET Republic Airways Holdings Inc. | ▶ | $751M |
| FJET Starfighters Space, Inc. | ▲ | $61M |
Where DAL sits on the market map
Energy & Transportation · Air Transportation, Scheduled
News
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) stock news
Delta Air Lines Inc. Earnings Call Signals Confident Growth
Detailed price information for Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL-N) from The Globe and Mail including charting and trades.
How Much Risk Is Hiding Behind Delta Air Lines’ (DAL) Recent Rally?
Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) is one of the largest publicly traded airlines, with a $52.6 billion market capitalization.
FAQ
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) stock forecast FAQ
What is the Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) stock forecast?
On Oct. 16, 2026, DAL is rated Neutral: its 90-day Total forecast sits in the middle 30% of the 5172 stocks scored that day.
How accurate are Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock predictions?
For DAL, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 42.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 5.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
How often are Delta Air Lines, Inc. forecasts updated?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. forecasts are refreshed on trading days as the daily model run completes. The forecast on this page was produced on Oct. 16, 2026.
Which companies are Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s industry peers?
13 issuers in our coverage, DAL included, share the SEC industry code Air Transportation, Scheduled. The largest are: United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL), Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYAAY), Southwest Airlines Co (LUV), Latam Airlines Group S.A. (LTM), American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL), Copa Holdings, S.A. (CPA).
This analysis is generated automatically using our proprietary AI systems and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.