Delta Air Lines Profit Forecast Review by Evercore Partners

Equities research analysts at Evercore Partners raised their earnings per share estimates on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. They currently have an “underweight” rating and a $8.00 price target on the company’s shares.

Separately, analysts at Barclays Capital cut their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research note to investors on Thursday, September 1st. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock. Also, analysts at Dahlman Rose upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note to investors on Monday, August 1st. They now have a $10.00 price target on the stock.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta) provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo throughout the United States, and around the world. The Company’s route network is centered on the hub system it operate at airports in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam and Tokyo-Narita. The hub operations include flights, which gather and distribute traffic from markets in the geographic region surrounding the hub to domestic and international cities and to other hubs. The network is supported by a fleet of aircraft, which is varied in terms of size and capabilities. On December 31, 2009, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Northwest Airlines, Inc. (NWA) merged with and into Delta. The wholly owned subsidiary of the Company is Northwest Airlines Corporation (Northwest). In July 2010, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. acquired Mesaba Aviation, Inc. from Delta Air Lines.

Delta Air Lines last announced its quarterly results on Wednesday, July 27th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the previous quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $0.49 EPS by $0.06. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Delta Air Lines will post $0.09 EPS next quarter.

Shares of Delta Air Lines traded up 5.01% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $8.39. Delta Air Lines has a 52 week low of $6.41 and a 52 week high of $14.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $7.35 and its 200-day moving average is $9.20. The company has a market cap of $7.098 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.61.

Airlines Stocks Fell As Oil Prices Hit 18-Month High

Airline stocks fell Monday as oil prices hit an 18-month high, raising fears about higher prices for jet fuel just as the carriers try to return to profitability.

The Amex airlines index fell 1.3 percent, with 10 of its 13 component stocks lower in midday trading.

Airline stocks suffered despite upbeat reports on March traffic from two smaller carriers, AirTran and Allegiant, and a rally in the broader stock market. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 50 points by midday.
Read more

Southwest Airlines And United Airlines Led The Airlines Stock

Airline stocks edged higher early Thursday, led by gains from Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

United UAUA shares climbed 2%. Southwest LUV and American AMR and US Airways LCC rose 1%.

Tracking the sector, the NYSE Arca Airline Index rose 0.5% to 37.86 points, with nine of the benchmark index’s 13 components advancing. The index is up more than 12% so far this year.

In the energy market, oil futures fell 31 cents to $82.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In other developments, Virgin America, launched in 2007, is expanding its flight pattern. Virgin said it plans to launch non-stop flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Orlando and Toronto.
Read more

Global Airline Industry Expectations in 2010 : Aviation Firms Shares Rose Sharply

Airline stocks have been flying high in 2010 thanks to renewed hopes over an economic recovery, an uptick in business travel, and a stronger dollar. The Claymore/NYSE Arca Airline ETF (FAA) has shot higher on the news, gaining nearly 5% on the week and 15% so far on the year. A slight pullback in oil prices–one of the primary negative factors weighing on the airline industry–has also added momentum to FAA in recent sessions. Ongoing concerns over the financial health of Europe have boosted the greenback, which generally moves in the opposite direction of oil.
Read more