DAL Stock Eyes Third Day In The Red Even As Retail Traders Shrug Off Softer Outlook

Delta Air Lines’ Q4 results, however, beat expectations, as premium offerings remain customer favourites.

• Retail message volume linked to DAL increased by 271% in the last 24 hours alone and has jumped by 683% over the past year on Stocktwits.
• The airline has been expanding its premium offerings, including the “Delta One” suite, which is a lie-flat seating with a sliding door, premium bedding, and a seasonal chef-curated four-course meal.
• On Tuesday, Delta forecast 2026 2026 earnings per share to jump 20% between $6.50 and $7.50, below Wall Street expectations of $7.26, according to data compiled by Fiscal AI.

Delta Air Lines’ stock is on track for a third straight session of losses on Wednesday as retail chatter surged on Stocktwits following the carrier’s earnings a day earlier. The company forecast a softer outlook for the year ahead, even as strong demand for premium seats continued to support growth.

Retail message volume on Stocktwits jumped 271% over the past 24 hours and surged 683% year over year. Delta shares closed down 2.4% at $69.33 on Tuesday after sliding as much as 4.1% intraday.

The stock was down nearly 1% in premarket trading and would mark a third consecutive decline if losses hold. Still, some retail traders remain optimistic, with users on Stocktwits eyeing a move toward $75 by Friday.

Delta’s Premium Push

The airline has been expanding its premium offerings, including the “Delta One” suite — a lie-flat seating with a sliding door, premium bedding, and a seasonal chef-curated four-course meal.

It also has a “Delta Premium Select,” which provides wider seats with deeper recline and enhanced amenities for a more spacious and relaxing journey. The company has also been working to offer passengers a wide selection of in-flight entertainment options, with complimentary access to 1,000-plus hours of content on Delta Studio.

Delta President Glen Hauenstein said the company has invested in its airport facilities and lounge networks. “In 2025, we delivered record revenue of $58.3 billion, up 2.3% year-over-year, with diversified revenue streams now representing 60% of total revenue,” Hauenstein said during a post-earnings call.

He added that premium revenue grew 7%, reflecting a robust demand for its most popular products, while cargo revenue increased 9%, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul revenue grew 25%.

Delta’s 2026 View

On Tuesday, Delta forecast 2026 earnings per share to jump 20% between $6.50 and $7.50 — the midpoint of which falls below Wall Street expectations of $7.26, according to data compiled by Fiscal AI. The company expects first-quarter total revenue to increase by 5% to 7% and earnings per share to be between $0.50 and $0.90.

Hauenstein added that the company plans to grow capacity by 3% for the full year, with “all new seat growth concentrated in premium cabins, driven by interior upgrades and new aircraft deliveries.”

The airline said it would buy 30 Boeing 787-10 widebody aircraft, with options for an additional 30 planes. The deliveries are expected to start in 2031, Delta added.

How Are Stocktwits Users Reacting?

Retail sentiment on Delta was in the ‘extremely bullish’ territory compared to ‘bearish’ a week ago, with message volumes at ‘extremely high’ levels, according to data from Stocktwits.

Shares of Delta have gained nearly 6% in the last 12 months.

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