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

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.5833.

MSDL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group reduced 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 research report on Tuesday, October 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CIO Ashwin Krishnan acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,160. This represents a ? increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 49,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 27.3% during the second quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 4,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 43,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $761,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 53.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:MSDL opened at $16.56 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $16.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.03 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 has a 1-year low of $15.70 and a 1-year high of $21.75.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $99.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.55 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 35.92%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is currently 121.21%.

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.