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

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.6250.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.25 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 73.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,668,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,500,000 after buying an additional 704,394 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,719,000. American Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,759,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 487.2% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 543,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,734,000 after acquiring an additional 450,681 shares during the period. Finally, HRT Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,497,000.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSDL opened at $15.20 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.03 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 52 week low of $13.66 and a 52 week high of $18.17.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The business had revenue of $59.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $89.99 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 15.97%. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.8%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is presently 260.87%.

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.