Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Shares Up 1.6% – What’s Next?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) was up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $15.43 and last traded at $15.3980. Approximately 1,593,571 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 184% from the average session volume of 560,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.16.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSDL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.25 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.54.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $15.20 and a 200-day moving average of $15.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25 and a beta of 0.53.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.02. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm had revenue of $58.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.89 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.7%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is currently 178.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the period.

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.