Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.75.

Several analysts have weighed in on MSDL shares. Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, Director Joan Binstock purchased 9,030 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $150,259.20. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $832,698.88. This trade represents a 22.02% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CIO Ashwin Krishnan acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.72 per share, for a total transaction of $50,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive owned 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,160. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 12,630 shares of company stock valued at $210,265. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSDL. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,967,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,640,000 after purchasing an additional 48,248 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 3.9% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 1,829,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,426,000 after buying an additional 68,014 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 17.5% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 964,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,506,000 after buying an additional 143,471 shares during the period. Muzinich & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 28.3% in the third quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 584,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,401,000 after buying an additional 128,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 487.2% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 543,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,734,000 after buying an additional 450,681 shares during the period.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of MSDL opened at $16.96 on Monday. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 1 year low of $15.70 and a 1 year high of $21.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.76. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 0.25.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 35.92% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.55 million. On average, analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 121.21%.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Company Profile

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE: MSDL) is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide investors with attractive current income and the potential for capital appreciation. The fund primarily invests in senior secured loans and other debt instruments issued by middle-market companies. By focusing on floating-rate structures, it aims to offer a measure of protection against rising interest rates while generating regular cash distributions.

The fund’s investment strategy centers on building a diversified portfolio of direct lending opportunities across a broad range of industries, including healthcare, business services, and industrials.