For the quarter ended September 2024, Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported revenue of $15.68 billion, up 1.2% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.50, compared to $2.03 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $15.37 billion, representing a surprise of +2.00%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -3.85%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.56.
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:
- Passenger Load Factor: 87% versus 87.6% estimated by five analysts on average.
- Revenue passenger miles - Consolidated: 66.31 billion versus 66.47 billion estimated by four analysts on average.
- Cost per Available Seat Mile (CASM) - Ex: 13.3 cents versus the four-analyst average estimate of 13.28 cents.
- Adjusted- Average fuel price per gallon: $2.53 versus $2.58 estimated by four analysts on average.
- Available seat miles - Consolidated: 76.16 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of 76.09 billion.
- Passenger Revenue by Geographic Region- Domestic: $8.65 billion compared to the $8.96 billion average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -0.1% year over year.
- Passenger Revenue by Geographic Region- Pacific: $647 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $664.83 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +15.7%.
- Passenger Revenue by Geographic Region- Latin America: $779 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $910.37 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -1.1%.
- Passenger Revenue by Geographic Region- Atlantic: $3.03 billion versus the two-analyst average estimate of $2.75 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -2.6%.
- Operating Revenues- Passenger: $13.11 billion versus the six-analyst average estimate of $13.17 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -0.1%.
- Operating Revenues- Cargo: $196 million versus $174.80 million estimated by six analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +27.3% change.
- Operating Revenues- Other net: $2.37 billion versus $2.35 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.2% change.
Shares of Delta have returned +15.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +5.9% 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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