Did Delta Air Lines (DAL) Close Shortened Trading Week Higher?

We recently published a list of 10 Firms Close Shortened Trading Week Higher. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) stands against other firms close shortened trading week higher.

Wall Street’s main indices ended the shortened trading week in the red territory on Friday after labor market data came in much hotter than expected, fueling concerns that the Federal Reserve will not cut rates again.

Both the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq Composite dived by 1.63 percent, while the S&P 500 declined by 1.54 percent.

Meanwhile, 10 companies in the mixed sector posted notable gains amid fresh catalysts that perked up buying appetite. In this article, let’s explore the reasons behind their rally.

In Friday’s top advancers, we considered only the stocks with at least $2 billion in market capitalization and $5 million in daily trading volume.

An aerial view of a commercial aircraft taking off from a coastal hub.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)’s share prices surged by 9.04 percent to finish Friday’s trading at $66.95 each after posting better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter of 2024, buoyed by strong demand for travel.

From October to December, Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) reported $843 million in net income and $15.6 billion in operating revenues. Its adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.85, well above the $1.75 analyst estimates.

“As we move into 2025, we expect strong demand for travel to continue, with consumers increasingly seeking the premium products and experiences that Delta provides,” said Delta Air Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian.

For this year, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) said it expects to generate over $4 billion in free cash, or an 18 percent growth from 2024, in the midpoint of its annual target of between $3 billion and $5 billion. Meanwhile, annual adjusted earnings are targeted to settle at $7.35 per share.

Overall, DAL ranks 2nd on our list of firms close shortened trading week higher. While we acknowledge the potential of DAL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DAL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.