Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Receives $17.58 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.5833.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MSDL shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated 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 research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $16.00 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Performance

NYSE:MSDL opened at $15.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.42 and a beta of 0.26. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a fifty-two week low of $14.81 and a fifty-two week high of $21.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.91.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $173,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 32.2% during the third quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 198,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,192,000 after buying an additional 48,395 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 1,829,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,426,000 after acquiring an additional 68,014 shares during the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 584,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,401,000 after acquiring an additional 128,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at $223,000.

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.