Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.5833.

MSDL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.50 to $16.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

NYSE MSDL opened at $14.23 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.18. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12-month low of $13.66 and a 12-month high of $20.00.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. The firm had revenue of $49.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $97.30 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 9.88%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is presently 128.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michael Jr. Occi acquired 7,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.87 per share, for a total transaction of $104,090.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 28,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $423,795. This represents a 32.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jeff M. Day acquired 5,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.89 per share, with a total value of $74,450.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 22,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $339,760.02. The trade was a 28.06% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth $32,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 225.0% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter.

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.