Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target to $16.50

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $18.50 to $16.50 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price suggests a potential upside of 13.01% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MSDL. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $16.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.92.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Performance

MSDL stock opened at $14.60 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.77. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12-month low of $14.25 and a 12-month high of $20.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 45.48, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. The firm had revenue of $49.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.30 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 9.88%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, CEO Michael Jr. Occi purchased 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.87 per share, with a total value of $104,090.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 28,500 shares in the company, valued at $423,795. This trade represents a 32.56% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 225.0% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250 shares during the period.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

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.