Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target Lowered to $16.50 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $18.50 to $16.50 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 12.43% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on MSDL. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $16.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.25.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Performance

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $14.68. The stock had a trading volume of 166,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 850,427. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 52-week low of $14.25 and a 52-week high of $20.90. The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.81. The company has a current ratio of 45.48, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. The business had revenue of $49.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.30 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 9.88%. On average, research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSDL. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 225.0% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares in the last quarter.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

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.