UBS Group Lowers Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target to $16.00

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $18.00 to $16.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 9.63% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price 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 report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.58.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

MSDL opened at $14.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a current ratio of 45.48. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $15.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.61. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. The company had revenue of $49.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, insider Jeff M. Day acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.89 per share, with a total value of $74,450.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 22,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,760.02. This represents a 28.06% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi acquired 7,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.87 per share, with a total value of $104,090.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 28,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $423,795. The trade was a 32.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter worth $32,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter.

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.