Equity

Retained Earnings

Delta Air Lines Retained Earnings decreased by 3.1% to $12.93B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 44.9%, from $8.93B to $12.93B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows an upward trend with a 99.0% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.

Analysis

StatementBalance Sheet Statement
SectionEquity
CategoryCapital Allocation
SignalHigher is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ4 2014
Last reportedQ1 2026

How to read this metric

Consistent growth in retained earnings signals a profitable business model that can sustain itself without constant external capital raises.

Detailed definition

The cumulative amount of net income that has been reinvested in the business rather than distributed to shareholders as...

Peer comparison

Mature, highly profitable companies like Apple may actually see this decrease if they return more cash to shareholders via buybacks than they earn in net income.

Metric ID: retained_earnings

Historical Data

20 periods
 Q2 '21Q3 '21Q4 '21Q1 '22Q2 '22Q3 '22Q4 '22Q1 '23Q2 '23Q3 '23Q4 '23Q1 '24Q2 '24Q3 '24Q4 '24Q1 '25Q2 '25Q3 '25Q4 '25Q1 '26
Value-$953.00M$259.00M-$148.00M-$1.09B-$353.00M$342.00M$1.17B$807.00M$2.57B$3.61B$5.65B$5.62B$6.77B$7.94B$8.78B$8.93B$10.83B$12.13B$13.34B$12.93B
QoQ Change+127.2%-157.1%-635.1%+67.6%+196.9%+242.1%-31.0%+218.3%+40.6%+56.4%-0.5%+20.3%+17.4%+10.6%+1.6%+21.4%+11.9%+10.0%-3.1%
YoY Change+63.0%+32.0%+890.5%+174.2%+827.8%+956.4%+382.9%+596.7%+163.3%+119.8%+55.5%+58.8%+60.1%+52.7%+51.9%+44.9%
Range-$1.09B$13.34B
CAGR+73.2%
Avg YoY Growth+283.2%
Median YoY Growth+91.4%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Delta Air Lines's retained earnings?
Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported retained earnings of $12.93B in Q1 2026.
How has Delta Air Lines's retained earnings changed year-over-year?
Delta Air Lines's retained earnings increased by 44.9% year-over-year, from $8.93B to $12.93B.
What is the long-term trend for Delta Air Lines's retained earnings?
Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), Delta Air Lines's retained earnings has grown at a 99.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$428.00M to $13.34B.
What does retained earnings mean?
The total profits the company has kept and reinvested since it started, after paying out any dividends.