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Here's What Key Metrics Tell Us About Delta (DAL) Q4 Earnings

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Delta Air Lines (DAL - Free Report) reported $14.22 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of 5.9%. EPS of $1.28 for the same period compares to $1.48 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +1.09% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.07 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.17, the EPS surprise was +9.40%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Delta performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

  • Available seat miles - Consolidated: 68,462 million compared to the 67,978.67 million average estimate based on four analysts.
  • Adjusted - Total unit revenues - TRASM: 19.95 cents versus the four-analyst average estimate of 20.06 cents.
  • Passenger Revenue Per Available Seat Mile: 17.78 cents versus 17.56 cents estimated by four analysts on average.
  • Passenger Load Factor: 84% versus 86.3% estimated by four analysts on average.
  • Adjusted- Average fuel price per gallon: $3 compared to the $3.12 average estimate based on four analysts.
  • Cost per Available Seat Mile (CASM) - Ex: 13.29 cents versus the four-analyst average estimate of 13.41 cents.
  • Passenger Mile Yield: 21.12 cents compared to the 20.3 cents average estimate based on three analysts.
  • Fuel Gallons Consumed - Consolidated: 978 Mgal versus 949.51 Mgal estimated by three analysts on average.
  • Total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM): 20.78 cents versus the three-analyst average estimate of 20.51 cents.
  • Operating Revenues- Passenger: $12.17 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $11.96 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +11.8%.
  • Operating Revenues- Cargo: $188 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $182.84 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -24.2%.
  • Operating Revenues- Other net: $1.86 billion versus $2 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -19% change.
View all Key Company Metrics for Delta here>>>

Shares of Delta have returned -0.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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