NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Delta Airlines Group (DAL) fell Wednesday along with other airline stocks after Lufthansa cautioned its profit would be lower than previously expected this year thanks to labor union strikes and less-than-expected revenue growth in its passenger and cargo businesses.
Lufthansa said it expects an operating profit of approximately EUR1 billion ($1.35 billion), or approximately EUR1.3 billion after adjustments. The airline had previously forecast an operating profit of EUR1.3 billion to EUR1.5 billion, with adjusted operating profit of EUR1.7 billion to EUR1.9 billion. Lufthansa cautioned about potential dangers to its earnings forecast when it reported first-quarter results in May but maintained its guidance at the time.
The news sent Lufthansa shares down approximately 10% and drove other airline stocks down, as well. Delta was down 4.15% to $40.18 at 11:02 a.m.
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Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates DELTA AIR LINES INC as a “buy” with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:
“We rate DELTA AIR LINES INC (DAL) a BUY. This is driven by several positive factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company’s strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its notable return on equity, reasonable valuation levels, solid stock price performance, compelling growth in net income and revenue growth. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.”
Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
- Compared to other companies in the Airlines industry and the overall market, DELTA AIR LINES INC’s return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the SP 500.
- Powered by its strong earnings growth of 2400.00% and other important driving factors, this stock has surged by 136.33% over the past year, outperforming the rise in the SP 500 Index during the same period. Regarding the stock’s future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, DAL should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
- The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the SP 500 and the Airlines industry. The net income increased by 2942.8% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $7.00 million to $213.00 million.
- The revenue growth significantly trails the industry average of 42.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 4.9%. Growth in the company’s revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
- You can view the full analysis from the report here: DAL Ratings Report