Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Plans $0.45 Quarterly Dividend

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of 0.45 per share on Friday, April 24th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.93. The stock had a trading volume of 874,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 836,473. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.08 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 1-year low of $14.64 and a 1-year high of $20.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.85.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 35.92% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $49.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.30 million. As a group, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSDL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $16.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $18.00 target price (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.58.

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.