Wall Street Zen Downgrades Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) to Sell

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on NCDL. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.50.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Stock Performance

NCDL opened at $13.03 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a 52 week low of $12.54 and a 52 week high of $17.59. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.27. The firm has a market cap of $643.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.44.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.01. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending had a net margin of 31.57% and a return on equity of 10.48%. The business had revenue of $26.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.60 million. On average, research analysts predict that Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending will post 2.28 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 190.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,573 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending during the third quarter worth $38,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 33.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,118 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the third quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the third quarter valued at $85,000.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Company Profile

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns through a diversified portfolio of direct lending instruments. Established in early 2022, NCDL focuses on privately negotiated debt investments in middle-market companies, primarily within the United States. The fund offers investors access to a segment of the credit markets that has historically been less correlated with public debt markets, aiming to capture yield premiums associated with private lending.

The fund’s investment strategy centers on senior secured loans, unitranche financings and selectively structured mezzanine debt.