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Delta Air Lines (DAL) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

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Delta Air Lines (DAL - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $39.74, moving +1.9% from the previous trading session. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.95%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.8%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.28%.

Coming into today, shares of the airline had gained 1.96% in the past month. In that same time, the Transportation sector gained 0.94%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.1%.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Delta Air Lines as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.53, up 242.99% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $13.21 billion, up 85.43% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $2.80 per share and revenue of $47.15 billion, which would represent changes of +168.63% and +57.69%, respectively, from the prior year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Delta Air Lines should also be noted by investors. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 1.71% higher within the past month. Delta Air Lines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note Delta Air Lines's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 13.94. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 21.71, so we one might conclude that Delta Air Lines is trading at a discount comparatively.

The Transportation - Airline industry is part of the Transportation sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 206, which puts it in the bottom 19% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow DAL in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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