Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Stock Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund “Hold” on average: Six of seven analysts recommend holding the stock, while one recommends buying it. The average 12-month price target is $15.17.
• MSDL shares opened at $13.21, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, and have traded between $12.71 and $17.91 over the past year.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.45, matching expectations, and paid a $0.45 quarterly dividend—equivalent to a 13.6% annualized yield, though its payout ratio is high at 260.87%.

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the seven analysts that are covering the stock, 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 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.17.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of 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 dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.25 to $15.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $15.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a report on Thursday.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 68,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. now owns 99,857 shares of the company's stock worth $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 3,561 shares during the period.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Down 0.3%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock opened at $13.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $14.35 and a 200 day moving average of $14.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15 and a beta of 0.58. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12-month low of $12.71 and a 12-month high of $17.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45. The company had revenue of $88.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $89.99 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 9.61%. As a group, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's payout ratio is presently 260.87%.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Company Profile

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund NYSE: MSDL is a business development company focused on providing financing to privately held, middle-market companies. The fund seeks to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans and other debt investments.

MSDL generally targets established companies with strong market positions and invests across a range of industries. Its portfolio may include first-lien and unitranche loans, as well as selectively structured junior debt and equity investments.

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