What's Going On With Delta Air Lines (DAL) Shares Today?

Shares of Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) are trading lower Thursday, moving in sympathy with competitor United Airlines Holdings following its third-quarter earnings release. Here’s what investors need to know.

• DAL shares are under pressure. Stay ahead of the curve here.

What To Know: While United reported adjusted EPS of $2.78, beating analyst estimates, it missed revenue expectations after reporting $15.225 billion for the quarter. The negative reaction is likely driven by key metrics that suggest potential industry-wide headwinds.

Specifically, United’s total revenue per available seat mile, a critical measure of efficiency and pricing power, fell 4.3% year-over-year. This decline signals potential fare weakness that could affect the entire sector, including Delta.

Furthermore, United reported an adjusted free cash outflow of $153 million for the quarter. Concerns that similar pressures on unit revenue and cash flow could impact other legacy carriers are weighing on Delta shares.

Despite United’s strong forecast for the fourth quarter, investors appear more focused on the current signs of weakening pricing power in the airline industry.

Delta reported third-quarter results last week, beating analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines. Delta narrowed its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings guidance to $6 from a prior range of $5.25 to $6.25.

Benzinga Edge Rankings: According to Benzinga Edge stock rankings, Delta Air Lines has a moderate Value score of 50.07.

DAL Price Action: Delta shares were down 2.38% at $60.23 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to data from Benzinga Pro. The stock is trading within its 52-week range of $34.73 to $69.98.

From a technical perspective, Delta’s current price is positioned 2.2% above its 50-day moving average of $58.92, suggesting a bullish short-term trend. However, it is also 10.7% above the 200-day moving average of $54.39, which reflects a longer-term positive outlook.

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How To Buy DAL Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Delta Air Lines – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.

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