Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Share Price Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average After Analyst Downgrade

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) shares crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Tuesday after UBS Group upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.01 and traded as high as $14.35. UBS Group now has a $14.50 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $15.50. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares last traded at $14.0250, with a volume of 554,495 shares.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial set a $15.00 target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 1st quarter worth $42,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at $178,000. Finally, Creekside Partners bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth $245,000.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 280.50 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $14.01 and its 200-day moving average is $14.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.71.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.8%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is currently 3,600.00%.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is a business development company that provides financing to U.S. middle-market businesses. Its investment strategy focuses primarily on privately originated senior secured loans, including first-lien and unitranche debt, and may include other debt or equity investments. The fund is externally managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management, drawing on Morgan Stanley’s private credit and direct lending capabilities. It began operations in 2021 and became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 2024.