Delta Air Lines Shares Slide After Revenue Miss and Mixed 2026 Outlook

Core Viewpoint - Delta Air Lines reported mixed fourth-quarter results, exceeding profit expectations but missing revenue forecasts, leading to a decline in share price by approximately 3% intraday Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings for the December quarter were $1.55 per share, slightly above the consensus estimate of $1.52 [2] - Total revenue for the quarter was $14.61 billion, falling short of analysts' expectations of $14.72 billion [2] - Revenue growth was impacted by approximately two percentage points due to the government shutdown, which primarily affected domestic travel demand [2] - Quarterly revenue increased by 1.2% year over year, supported by a capacity growth of 1.3% [3] - For the full year 2025, Delta achieved record revenue of $58.3 billion, a 2.3% increase from 2024 [3] - Revenue from diversified streams, including premium services, cargo, and maintenance operations, rose by 7% year over year, accounting for 60% of total revenue [3] Future Guidance - Delta forecasts first-quarter 2026 revenue growth of 5% to 7% year over year, with operating margins expected between 4.5% and 6% [4] - Projected first-quarter earnings per share are estimated to be between $0.50 and $0.90, compared to consensus expectations of $0.72 [4] - For the full year 2026, Delta anticipates earnings of $6.50 to $7.50 per share, indicating approximately 20% growth at the midpoint from 2025 levels, but below the Street consensus of $7.32 [4] Strategic Developments - Delta announced a new agreement with Boeing to purchase 30 Boeing 787-10 widebody aircraft, with options for an additional 30 planes, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2031 [5]