Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Shares Bought by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank increased its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) by 100.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,568 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Comerica Bank’s holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending were worth $53,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $84,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Finally, Samalin Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,000.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Price Performance

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending stock opened at $19.97 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.33. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a 1 year low of $17.59 and a 1 year high of $24.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.04). Morgan Stanley Direct Lending had a net margin of 54.89% and a return on equity of 12.69%. The company had revenue of $101.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.86 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.02%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MSDL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $20.50 to $19.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.20.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is a business development company. It is a non-diversified, externally managed specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is based in NEW YORK.