The historical rank and industry rank for Delta Air Lines's ROE % or its related term are showing as below:
DAL'
s ROE % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -146.64 Med: 26.94 Max: 52.12
Current: 24.09
During the past 13 years, Delta Air Lines's highest ROE % was 52.12%. The lowest was -146.64%. And the median was 26.94%.
DAL's ROE % is ranked better than 89% of 991
companies
in the Transportation industry
Industry Median: 7.6
vs DAL: 24.09
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) ROE % Explanation
ROE % measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' equity (also known as net assets or assets minus liabilities). ROE % shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. ROE %s between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.
The factors that affect a company's ROE % can be illustrated with the three-step DuPont Analysis:
Note:
The net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) net income data. The Revenue data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) revenue data. The same rule applies to Pre-Tax Income and Operating Income.
* In the five-step DuPont Analysis, Operating Income is only available for non-financial companies. Thus, for Insurance companies, we use EBIT as a substitution of Operating Income. For Banks, both Operating Income and EBIT is unavailable. Thus we combined Interest Burden and Operating Margin % into Pretax Margin %, and the DuPont Analysis is divided into four components instead.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Be Aware
Net Income is used.
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the equity multiplier when investing in high ROE % companies. Like ROA %, ROE % is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their ROE %s can be extremely high.
Delta Air Lines ROE % Related Terms
Delta Air Lines ROE % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Delta Air Lines's ROE % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Airlines subindustry, Delta Air Lines's ROE %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROE % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Delta Air Lines ROE % vs Transportation Industry
For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Delta Air Lines's ROE % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Delta Air Lines's ROE % falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual ROE %, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data,
the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) net income data.
ROE % is displayed in the 30-year financial page.
Delta Air Lines (DAL) has a ROE % of -5.61% as of Mar. 2026. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Delta Air Lines and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Delta Air Lines ranks #109 out of 991 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 11%.
Is Delta Air Lines' ROE % too high?
Delta Air Lines' current ROE % is -5.61%. Based on the distribution chart, Delta Air Lines ranks #109 out of 991 companies in the Transportation industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Delta Air Lines has a GF Score™ of 79/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Delta Air Lines' ROE % compare to UAL and LUV?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Delta Air Lines ranks #109 out of 991 companies for ROE %. This places Delta Air Lines in the top 11% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median ROE % is 7.60. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROE % for a Transportation company?
The median ROE % among Transportation companies is 7.60, based on 991 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROE % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROE % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high ROE % mean?
A high ROE % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Delta Air Lines and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median ROE % is 7.60 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Delta Air Lines's current ROE % is -5.61%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Delta Air Lines stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Delta Air Lines (DAL) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $54.11, compared to a current price of $90.27 — trading 66.8% above its estimated fair value. The current ROE % is -5.61%. Delta Air Lines' overall GF Score™ is 79/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROE % calculated?
ROE % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Delta Air Lines (DAL), the current ROE % is -5.61% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Delta Air Lines (DAL) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Delta Air Lines stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $90.27 is trading 66.8% above its estimated GF Value™ of $54.11.
GuruFocus considers Delta Air Lines to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for DAL:
ROE %: -5.61%
GF Value™: $54.11 vs. price of $90.27 (66.8% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the DAL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is one of the world's largest airlines, with a network of over 300 destinations in more than 50 countries. Delta operates a hub-and-spoke network, where it gathers and distributes passengers across the globe through its biggest hubs in Atlanta, New York, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Seattle, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Delta has historically earned most of its international revenue and profits from flying passengers over the Atlantic Ocean.
79GF Score
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