Wall Street wants $1.88 a share from Delta, down from $2.11 a month ago. Will the airline clear that bar on Oct 9?
78% of users predicted YES — the community missed this one. 9 predictions cast.
Delta Air Lines missed Wall Street's lowered earnings bar when it reported third-quarter 2026 results on October 9. The carrier posted adjusted earnings of $1.72 per share, below the $1.75 analyst consensus tracked by LSEG and well short of the $1.88 figure referenced in the question, which itself had already been cut from $2.11 a month earlier. It was Delta's first quarterly miss in roughly two years, according to CNBC. On a GAAP basis, net income fell 47% year-over-year to $756 million, or $1.15 per share, down from $1.42 billion, or $2.17 per share, a year earlier.
Rising fuel costs drove the shortfall: Delta said it absorbed about $1.6 billion in higher fuel expenses during the quarter, which kept pretax profit roughly flat versus the prior year despite higher revenue. Adjusted revenue came in near $17.6 billion, modestly below expectations. Delta also cut its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $5.10 to $5.60, down sharply from the $6.50 to $7.50 range it had given in July.
Most forecasters expected Delta to clear the lowered bar, with 78% predicting "yes." The earnings miss meant the community's majority view was wrong.