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DAL vs. FDX: Delta Air Lines vs. FedEx Stock Comparison

How do Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX) both fall under the Transportation industry group, but DAL is classified in Passenger Airlines while FDX is classified in Air Freight & Logistics.

Company profile comparison for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
Profile ItemDALFDX
NameDelta Air Lines, Inc.FedEx Corp.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupTransportationTransportation
GICS IndustryPassenger AirlinesAir Freight & Logistics
GICS Sub-IndustryPassenger AirlinesAir Freight & Logistics
Market Capitalization57.37 billion USD72.17 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMay 3, 2007April 12, 1978
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DAL
FDX
GSPC
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
Total Return (1Y)56.32%53.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)41.15%20.20%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.27%11.81%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DAL
FDX
GSPC
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)39.27%28.80%
Beta (5Y)1.371.26
Max Drawdown (5Y)-47.92%-45.30%
Avg. Volume (3M)6.42M1.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DAL and FDX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.331.69
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.192.62

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 15.91% and FedEx (FDX) at 14.85% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DAL

Transportation industry group

15.91%

Max
45.08%
Q3
22.02%
DAL
15.91%
Median
13.94%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-10.45%

FDX

Transportation industry group

14.85%

Max
45.08%
Q3
22.02%
FDX
14.85%
Median
13.94%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-10.45%
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their ROE against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 4.58% and FedEx (FDX) at 4.68% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

DAL

Transportation industry group

4.58%

Max
50.36%
Q3
21.18%
Median
5.58%
DAL
4.58%
Q1
1.55%
Min
-11.37%

FDX

Transportation industry group

4.68%

Max
50.36%
Q3
21.18%
Median
5.58%
FDX
4.68%
Q1
1.55%
Min
-11.37%
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their net margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 7.22% and FedEx (FDX) at 5.00% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DAL

Transportation industry group

7.22%

Max
59.18%
Q3
29.30%
Median
11.50%
DAL
7.22%
Q1
4.62%
Min
-8.91%

FDX

Transportation industry group

5.00%

Max
59.18%
Q3
29.30%
Median
11.50%
FDX
5.00%
Q1
4.62%
Min
-8.91%
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
ROE (TTM)15.91%14.85%
ROA (TTM)3.95%5.01%
Net Margin (TTM)4.58%4.68%
Operating Margin (TTM)7.22%5.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)17.90%27.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 2.79% and FedEx (FDX) at 7.73% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 43.71% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while FedEx (FDX) at 10.35% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for DAL.

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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.79%7.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.80%1.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)43.71%10.35%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)54.92%6.22%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

FedEx (FDX) at 1.48 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 0.40 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for DAL.

DAL

Transportation industry group

0.40

Max
2.58
Q3
1.62
Median
1.16
Q1
0.78
DAL
0.40
Min
0.22

FDX

Transportation industry group

1.48

Max
2.58
Q3
1.62
FDX
1.48
Median
1.16
Q1
0.78
Min
0.22
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 0.89 and FedEx (FDX) at 0.99 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DAL

Transportation industry group

0.89

Max
2.75
Q3
1.37
DAL
0.89
Median
0.78
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00

FDX

Transportation industry group

0.99

Max
2.75
Q3
1.37
FDX
0.99
Median
0.78
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.401.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.890.99
Net Debt / EBITDA2.151.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 0.94% and FedEx (FDX) at 1.76% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

DAL

Transportation industry group

0.94%

Max
4.68%
Q3
1.99%
DAL
0.94%
Median
0.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

FDX

Transportation industry group

1.76%

Max
4.68%
Q3
1.99%
FDX
1.76%
Median
0.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 15.52% and FedEx (FDX) at 31.27% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

DAL

Transportation industry group

15.52%

Max
100.89%
Q3
41.68%
Median
20.43%
DAL
15.52%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

FDX

Transportation industry group

31.27%

Max
100.89%
Q3
41.68%
FDX
31.27%
Median
20.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.94%1.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)15.52%31.27%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 17.41 and FedEx (FDX) at 16.61 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DAL

Transportation industry group

17.41

Max
46.76
Q3
30.87
Median
20.58
DAL
17.41
Q1
10.44
Min
0.00

FDX

Transportation industry group

16.61

Max
46.76
Q3
30.87
Median
20.58
FDX
16.61
Q1
10.44
Min
0.00
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 0.80 and FedEx (FDX) at 0.76 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DAL

Transportation industry group

0.80

Max
4.35
Q3
2.07
Median
0.93
DAL
0.80
Q1
0.53
Min
0.04

FDX

Transportation industry group

0.76

Max
4.35
Q3
2.07
Median
0.93
FDX
0.76
Q1
0.53
Min
0.04
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Delta Air Lines (DAL) at 2.53 and FedEx (FDX) at 2.09 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DAL

Transportation industry group

2.53

Max
6.29
Q3
3.39
DAL
2.53
Median
1.90
Q1
1.03
Min
-2.07

FDX

Transportation industry group

2.09

Max
6.29
Q3
3.39
FDX
2.09
Median
1.90
Q1
1.03
Min
-2.07
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) vs. FedEx (FDX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Delta Air Lines (DAL) and FedEx (FDX)
MetricDALFDX
P/E Ratio (TTM)17.4116.61
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.800.76
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.532.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.34%7.84%