Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.5833.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $18.00 price target (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $16.00 price objective (down previously from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:MSDL opened at $16.56 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $16.90 and its 200-day moving average is $17.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12 month low of $15.70 and a 12 month high of $21.75. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.26.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.55 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 35.92% and a return on equity of 10.21%. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.1%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is 121.21%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In related news, CIO Ashwin Krishnan purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.72 per share, for a total transaction of $50,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive directly owned 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,160. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Shikiar Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Shikiar Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,151,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 766,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 181,830 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. GraniteShares Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,623,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $163,000.

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.