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Delta Air Lines IncDALBUYJun 30, 2023Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Oct 16, 2026. Market Open.
He has avoided the boom-and-bust airline stocks for years. But the top airlines, recently, have become more durable. Loyal customers pay for the best seats at the front of the plane. DAL today reported small earnings and revenue misses and slashed their full-year earnings forecast by 24%. But shares turned positive anyway, because Wall Street saw this coming. But DAL guided for a higher than expected revenue growth. They're punished on their profits from high fuel costs, but demand for flights remains strong. DAL has generated enough revenue from first class and business class sales to offset those fuel costs. Also, they outsource their maintenance business which DAL thinks they can more than double in coming years. DAL leads peers in on-time arrivals and departures which is why premium customers will pay up.
DAL is up 41% YTD. It reports July 13, with expectations of $14.3B sales and $2.33 EPS. Earnings could double this year on higher fares and lower fuel costs. Debt is still high at 4X cash flow but that is common for the sector. It remains very cheap at 7X earnings and continues to benefit from the travel recovery. A bad recession could hurt, but recent economic numbers have been fine. We like it today.
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