Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.01, Zacks reports. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending had a net margin of 31.57% and a return on equity of 10.41%. The business had revenue of $26.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.60 million.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE NCDL traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $12.88. 565,408 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 289,028. The company has a market cap of $636.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a one year low of $12.76 and a one year high of $17.72.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending’s dividend payout ratio is presently 117.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. QTR Family Wealth LLC grew its position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. QTR Family Wealth LLC now owns 25,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 5,232 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 11.4% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 18,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 1,918 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP acquired a new position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the third quarter valued at approximately $152,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $152,000.

Trending Headlines about Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

Here are the key news stories impacting Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36/share (ex-div March 31, payable Apr 28), implying a ~10.8% yield — supports income-focused investor demand. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Company/press releases and some coverage report net investment income/EPS of $0.44 for Q4, modestly beating consensus and highlighting ongoing income generation and a reported ROE (~11%). Q4 Beat Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted an earnings call with a published transcript and presentation; these provide details on portfolio performance, NAV dynamics and outlook — useful for assessing credit quality and distribution sustainability. Earnings Highlights Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target from $16 to $15 and set a “market perform” rating — a downgrade that can weigh on sentiment and short-term flow. Analyst Note
• Negative Sentiment: Some market reports show mixed/contradictory Q4 metrics (one source reported EPS of $0.32 and revenue well below expectations at ~$26.4M versus ~$49.6M), raising questions on reporting differences and near-term earnings clarity. That uncertainty likely contributed to the sell-off. Earnings/Metrics Report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on NCDL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.50.

About Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns through a diversified portfolio of direct lending instruments. Established in early 2022, NCDL focuses on privately negotiated debt investments in middle-market companies, primarily within the United States. The fund offers investors access to a segment of the credit markets that has historically been less correlated with public debt markets, aiming to capture yield premiums associated with private lending.

The fund’s investment strategy centers on senior secured loans, unitranche financings and selectively structured mezzanine debt.