Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Plans $0.50 Quarterly Dividend

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.50 per share on Friday, January 23rd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded down $0.29 on Friday, hitting $16.34. 664,409 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 640,776. 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 50-day simple moving average of $17.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.46 and a beta of 0.26.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 42.65%.The company had revenue of $99.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.55 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 news, Director Adam S. Metz bought 28,248 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.67 per share, for a total transaction of $499,142.16. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $499,142.16. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David N. Miller purchased 10,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $17.69 per share, for a total transaction of $176,900.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $303,701.92. The trade was a 139.51% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 66,937 shares of company stock valued at $1,175,272 in the last ninety days. Corporate 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 business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in 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 worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 225.0% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the period.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is a business development company. It is a non-diversified, externally managed specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is based in NEW YORK.