Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Receives $15.58 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.5833.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.50 to $16.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Down 1.8%

MSDL opened at $14.35 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $15.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.58. The company has a quick ratio of 45.48, a current ratio of 45.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25 and a beta of 0.35. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 52 week low of $14.25 and a 52 week high of $20.90.

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

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.5%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is presently 142.86%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, insider Jeff M. Day bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.89 per share, with a total value of $74,450.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $339,760.02. This represents a 28.06% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi purchased 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.87 per share, for a total transaction of $104,090.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 28,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $423,795. This represents a 32.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter worth about $32,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% during the 2nd 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 during the period.

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.