Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE:NCDL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE:NCDL) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.75.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Zacks Research lowered Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NCDL opened at $13.14 on Thursday. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a twelve month low of $13.03 and a twelve month high of $18.01. The stock has a market cap of $648.89 million, a PE ratio of 8.59 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $14.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.10.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $51.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $52.00 million. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending had a net margin of 36.83% and a return on equity of 11.13%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.7%. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 117.65%.

Insider Transactions at Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

In other news, Treasurer Shaul Vichness purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.20 per share, with a total value of $71,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the treasurer directly owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $284,000. This trade represents a 33.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kenneth M. Miranda acquired 2,000 shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.10 per share, for a total transaction of $28,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $380,700. The trade was a 8.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 27,000 shares of company stock valued at $383,600. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 190.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,573 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 33.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,118 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the third quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending during the third quarter valued at about $85,000.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Company Profile

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.