Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) Stock Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average After Earnings Miss

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE:NCDL) shares crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.51 and traded as high as $11.95. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending shares last traded at $11.8840, with a volume of 500,054 shares traded.

The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.01). Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 24.44%. The company had revenue of $43.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.72 million.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.02 per share. This is a decrease from Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 31st. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 151.58%.

More Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending News

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

• Positive Sentiment: NCDL outlined a plan to grow its joint venture to about $300 million over the coming quarters, a potential source of future investment and earnings growth. Article: Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending outlines plan to ramp joint venture
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend coverage reports say NCDL declared a $0.36-per-share distribution plus a $0.02 supplemental distribution, supporting its appeal to income-focused investors. Article: NCDL declares distribution and supplemental distribution
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter net investment income was $0.38 per share, just below the $0.39 consensus estimate; revenue of $43.67 million also narrowly missed estimates of $43.72 million. The small misses may temper the positive reaction, though results were close to expectations. Article: NCDL announces third-quarter 2026 results
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend details in the supplied reports conflict: another account describes the $0.02 amount as the quarterly payout and a sharp reduction from $0.36. Investors may want to confirm the distribution amounts in the company’s official release. Article: NCDL distribution report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on NCDL. Zacks Research raised Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $15.00 to $13.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $14.75 to $13.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.62.

Institutional Trading of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NCDL. Centurion Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the second quarter valued at about $3,879,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 199.3% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 89,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,142,000 after acquiring an additional 59,777 shares in the last quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP increased its stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 29.6% in the first quarter. Bulldog Investors LLP now owns 224,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 51,410 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 28.7% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 152,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 33,918 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 23.3% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 147,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after acquiring an additional 27,970 shares during the period.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Stock Up 4.3%

The stock has a market cap of $586.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.51 and its 200-day moving average is $12.73.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Company Profile

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) is a closed-end investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company. The company provides financing to privately owned, primarily U.S.-based middle-market businesses.

NCDL invests mainly in senior secured loans and other debt investments, with a focus on companies that may have limited access to traditional bank financing. Its portfolio may also include unitranche loans, subordinated debt and, to a lesser extent, equity or equity-related investments.