Boston, MA 10/22/2013 (wallstreetpr) – Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) is set to announce its 3Q13 results today before markets open. The company is expected to declare strong results with $1.2 billion in net income resulting in earnings of $1.36 per share. The company has benefitted from lower fuel prices, and increasing operating revenues. This has resulted in improvement in operating margins. With the festival season ahead, the industry expects the good run to continue till December end. Delta will also regain its number one spot in the U.S. in terms of operating revenues. The company is expected to declare $10.47 billion as revenues for the third quarter, compared to $10.27 billion for United Continental.
Delta has introduced several new routes connecting both domestic and international destinations. It has improved its service offerings and taken several customer focused initiatives. Capacity discipline has been rigorously implemented. The recent agreement with Virgin Atlantic will give the company a strong hold in the Trans Atlantic markets. The U.S. Department of Transportation has already approved the agreement. Delta and other U.S. based airlines continue to face threat from foreign operators. The competition on international routes is heavy. Besides, the airline also faces domestic competition in several of its hubs. The macro economic environment is also worrisome. These will impact the company’s short tem and long term growth prospects. The financial crises faced by such airlines in the recent past have not been forgotten by the investors. The airline business is assuming cyclic properties and airlines who can make good profits in good times can sustain the downturn more efficiently. Airline manufacturers like Boeing will also be looking at the results very carefully. These manufacturers have secondary demand and they base their strategies on the performance of airlines.
The shares of the company were trading at $24.69 per share at the end of trading. The 52 week high and low are $25.43 and $9.21 per share. It seems that the company will be touching its 52 week high today.
