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

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.5833.

MSDL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective (down previously from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CIO Ashwin Krishnan acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.72 per share, for a total transaction of $50,160.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive directly owned 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $50,160. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew 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 Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MSDL opened at $16.24 on Friday. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12-month low of $15.70 and a 12-month high of $21.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 35.92%.The firm had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.55 million. As a group, equities research 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.3%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is presently 121.21%.

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.