Golf Clap for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines (NYS: DAL) reported earnings on Jan. 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Delta Air Lines met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.
Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew slightly and GAAP earnings per share contracted significantly.
Margins contracted across the board.
Revenue details
Delta Air Lines reported revenue of $8.60 billion. The 10 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected sales of $8.61 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 2.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $8.40 billion.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
EPS details
EPS came in at $0.28. The 16 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.28 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.01 for Q4 were 98% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.50 per share.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 18.7%, 450 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.5%, 420 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.1%, 500 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.
Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $8.56 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.14.
Next year's average estimate for revenue is $37.74 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.57.
Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 550 members out of 933 rating the stock outperform, and 383 members rating it underperform. Among 217 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 132 give Delta Air Lines a green thumbs-up, and 85 give it a red thumbs-down.
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Delta Air Lines is outperform, with an average price target of $14.45.
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The article Golf Clap for Delta Air Lines originally appeared on Fool.com.
Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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