Should You Buy Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
65.950
1 Day change
0.18%
52 Week Range
73.160
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
BUY now for a beginner long-term investor. DAL is trading near key support (~64.7–66.2) and looks short-term oversold while fundamentals and Wall Street sentiment are improving into 2026. Even if there’s near-term choppiness, the risk/reward is attractive at current levels given strong earnings momentum and multiple fresh price-target hikes.
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock today.
Technical Analysis
Price (~65.98 post-market) is sitting just below S1 (66.17) and above S2 (64.726), meaning it’s hovering in a support zone where buyers often step in.
- Trend/Momentum: MACD histogram is negative (-0.714) and worsening, which confirms bearish momentum is still present.
- RSI(6): ~26.97 (effectively oversold/washed-out). This often precedes bounces, especially when price is near support.
- Moving averages: Converging MAs suggest a transition phase; not a strong uptrend yet.
- Levels to watch: Support 64.73 then ~63 (noted in news as crucial support). Resistance at Pivot 68.51, then 70.85.
- Pattern-based forward look (provided): higher odds of mild weakness over the next week (-3.14%), but the stock is already near support, which improves entry appeal for long-term buyers.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Options positioning leans bullish:
- Open Interest Put/Call = 0.84 (<1), suggesting more call positioning than puts overall.
- Volume Put/Call = 0.53, indicating call volume is dominating today.
- Activity is elevated: today’s options volume is ~136.8% of the 30-day average, signaling strong participation.
- Volatility: IV30 ~48.6 with IV percentile ~69.6 (options relatively pricey vs typical), which often shows heightened expectations around catalysts (e.g., earnings/guidance, industry outlook). Net takeaway: sentiment skews constructive, not defensive.
Technical Summary
Sell
7
Buy
6
Positive Catalysts
2) Fleet modernization/expansion: order for 31 Airbus widebodies (plus options) enhances long-term international capability narrative.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
1) Insider activity: insiders are selling, with selling amount up ~1030.83% over the last month (not a great signal near-term).
2) Technical momentum remains bearish (negative and expanding MACD), so the stock can still dip before sustaining an uptrend.
3) Short-term statistical outlook provided suggests potential weakness over the next week (-3.14%).
4) Gross margin dipped YoY in the latest quarter, showing some cost/price pressure despite strong earnings growth.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q4.
- Revenue: $16.003B, +2.85% YoY (steady top-line growth).
- Net Income: $1.219B, +44.60% YoY (strong profitability improvement).
- EPS: $1.86, +44.19% YoY (meaningful earnings acceleration).
- Gross Margin: 47.18%, -1.81% YoY (a mild negative, but not enough to offset the strong earnings growth trend).
Overall: financial momentum is improving, with earnings growth materially outpacing revenue growth—consistent with an operational turnaround/efficiency story.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: clearly improving/bullish. Multiple firms raised price targets recently while keeping Buy/Positive/Overweight-style ratings.
- Notable PT raises: Susquehanna to $85 (from $70), Citi to $87 (from $77), TD Cowen to $82 (from $77), BofA to $80 (from $74), Goldman to $77 (from $68), Raymond James to $80 (from $70).
- Initiations/assumptions: Wells Fargo Overweight $87; UBS Buy $90; BMO Outperform $80.
Wall Street pros: improving demand, premium/loyalty strength, better through-cycle earnings power, margin improvement potential, and de-leveraging/free cash flow narrative.
Wall Street cons (implied): carriers may issue conservative 2026 outlooks; near-term macro/geopolitical sensitivity remains a known overhang for travel demand.
Influential/political trading check: No recent congress trading data available; no politician transaction data provided.
Wall Street analysts forecast DAL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DAL is 81.36 USD with a low forecast of 69 USD and a high forecast of 90 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
16 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast DAL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DAL is 81.36 USD with a low forecast of 69 USD and a high forecast of 90 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
16 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 65.830
Low
69
Averages
81.36
High
90
Current: 65.830
Low
69
Averages
81.36
High
90
Susquehanna
Christopher Stathoulopoulos
Positive
maintain
$70 -> $85
AI Analysis
2026-01-09
Reason
Susquehanna
Christopher Stathoulopoulos
Price Target
$70 -> $85
AI Analysis
2026-01-09
maintain
Positive
Reason
Susquehanna analyst Christopher Stathoulopoulos raised the firm's price target on Delta Air Lines to $85 from $70 and keeps a Positive rating on the shares as part of a Q4 preview. The firm sees a "constructive fundamental backdrop" for the airlines into fiscal 2026. Select carriers will benefit from brand loyalty and diverse revenue streams, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Citi
Buy
maintain
$77 -> $87
2026-01-07
Reason
Citi
Price Target
$77 -> $87
2026-01-07
maintain
Buy
Reason
Citi raised the firm's price target on Delta Air Lines to $87 from $77 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm updated targets in the airlines group as part of a Q4 earnings preview. Citi's business travel barometer has bottomed, the analyst tells investors in a research note. However, the firm still expects the supermajors to issue "conservative" outlooks for 2026.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for DAL
