Analysts Set Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target at $15.62

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.6250.

MSDL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.25 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSDL opened at $15.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.61. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a fifty-two week low of $13.66 and a fifty-two week high of $19.94. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 15.31 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.31 and a 200-day moving average of $15.35.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.02. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 22.84%.The business had revenue of $58.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.89 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 178.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares in the last quarter.

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.