Delta's Shares Move North After Q2 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates

Core Insights - Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported Q2 2025 earnings of $2.10 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.04, but reflecting an 11% year-over-year decline due to high labor costs [1][10] - Revenues for the quarter reached $16.65 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $16.2 billion, with adjusted operating revenues increasing 1% year-over-year to $15.5 billion [2][10] - DAL reinstated its full-year 2025 guidance, projecting earnings between $5.25 and $6.25 per share, with free cash flow expected to be between $3 billion and $4 billion [3][10] Financial Performance - Passenger revenues, which constituted 83.3% of total revenues, remained flat year-over-year at $13.9 billion, exceeding estimates [4] - Cargo revenues increased by 7% year-over-year to $212 million, surpassing estimates, while other revenues decreased by 2% to $2.6 billion [5] - Total operating expenses rose by 1% to $14.55 billion, with salaries and related costs increasing by 10% to $4.4 billion due to higher wages from a pilot contract ratified in 2023 [7] Operational Metrics - Revenue passenger miles increased by 2% to 66.4 billion, while capacity expanded by 4% to 77.4 billion [6] - The load factor decreased by 180 basis points to 86%, below estimates, and passenger revenue per available seat mile declined by 4% to 17.68 cents [6] - Adjusted operating margin was reported at 13.2%, down from 14.7% a year ago [5] Cash Flow and Debt - At the end of Q2 2025, DAL had cash and cash equivalents of $3.33 billion, down from $4.11 billion a year earlier, with adjusted net debt reduced by $1.7 billion to $16.3 billion [8] - Adjusted operating cash flow for the quarter was $1.8 billion, with gross capital expenditures of $1.2 billion and free cash flow of $733 million [8] Future Guidance - For Q3 2025, DAL expects adjusted earnings per share in the range of $1.25 to $1.75, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is currently at $2.01 per share [9] - The adjusted operating margin is anticipated to be in the 9-11% range, with revenues expected to remain flat or increase up to 4% compared to Q3 2024 levels [11]