Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) Hits New 52-Week Low After Analyst Downgrade

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE:NCDL)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on the stock from $16.00 to $15.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending traded as low as $12.80 and last traded at $12.9160, with a volume of 263438 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.36.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.50.

More Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.36/share (annualized yield ~10.8%); ex‑dividend and record dates set, which supports income-oriented demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported net investment income / adjusted EPS metrics around $0.44 per share and highlighted solid return on equity in its earnings materials — supportive for the dividend coverage narrative. Business Wire: Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings-call transcript and presentation released (useful for detail on portfolio performance, portfolio yield, and credit trends). Investors will parse these for forward loan growth and credit quality signals. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Call TranscriptPresentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Press and coverage summarizing results and highlights are available (additional color but not new company guidance). Yahoo Finance: Q4 Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered the price target from $16 to $15 and kept a “market perform” rating — a signal of more cautious near‑term expectations from the sell‑side. Benzinga: PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Reported metrics are mixed: some sources show an adjusted beat (~$0.44) but other reported EPS/revenue metrics missed consensus (revenue and a GAAP EPS figure were weaker), creating uncertainty about growth and earnings quality. This mixed print can pressure the stock. Zacks: Q4 Beat (adjusted)
• Negative Sentiment: Volume was light versus average and the shares are trading below their 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages and near the 1‑year low — technicals that can amplify downside when fundamentals disappoint.

Institutional Trading of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 13.7% during the third quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 418,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,776,000 after acquiring an additional 50,507 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the 2nd quarter worth $773,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 32,820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 16,408 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $604,000. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC bought a new stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending during the fourth quarter valued at about $164,000.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Trading Down 4.0%

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $13.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The stock has a market cap of $633.19 million, a P/E ratio of 8.45 and a beta of 0.40.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Cuts Dividend

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

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.