Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.50.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MSDL. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.25 to $15.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSDL. UBS Group AG increased its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 73.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,668,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,500,000 after buying an additional 704,394 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at $10,719,000. American Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter worth $8,759,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 487.2% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 543,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,734,000 after acquiring an additional 450,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caz Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the second quarter worth $6,040,000.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSDL opened at $15.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $15.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.12. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a twelve month low of $13.66 and a twelve month high of $18.07.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 9.61%. The company had revenue of $59.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.99 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.82 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.8%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 260.87%.

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.