Analysts Set Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Target Price at $17.58

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.5833.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MSDL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price 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 research note on Monday, November 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $16.00 price objective (down previously from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on 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. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, CIO Ashwin Krishnan acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.72 per share, with a total value of $50,160.00. Following the purchase, the executive directly 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 is available through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSDL. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 225.0% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of MSDL opened at $16.40 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $16.88 and its 200 day moving average is $17.35. 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 12-month low of $15.70 and a 12-month high of $21.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 0.26.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.55 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 35.92% and a return on equity of 10.21%. Research analysts expect 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.2%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is presently 121.21%.

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.