Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target Lowered to $16.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. has lowered the price target for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00, maintaining a "neutral" rating.
• Stock ratings vary with one Buy, four Holds, and one Sell, reflecting a consensus price target of $18.60.
• Insiders have shown confidence in the company by purchasing shares, with CEO Michael Jr. Occi increasing his holdings by 186.67% after buying 14,000 shares.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $18.00 to $16.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target indicates a potential upside of 1.30% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.50 to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Zacks Research downgraded Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.60.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of MSDL traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $15.80. 746,730 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 606,742. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12 month low of $15.77 and a 12 month high of $21.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company's fifty day moving average price is $17.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.92. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.19 and a beta of 0.33.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $99.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.99 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 42.65% and a return on equity of 11.24%. Equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, CEO Michael Jr. Occi bought 14,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.78 per share, for a total transaction of $248,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $382,270. This represents a 186.67% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David N. Miller purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.69 per share, for a total transaction of $176,900.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 17,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $303,701.92. The trade was a 139.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 57,907 shares of company stock worth $1,025,013. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 99.9% during the second quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 1,761,950 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,984,000 after buying an additional 880,372 shares during the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 114.2% during the 2nd quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 455,631 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,529,000 after buying an additional 242,931 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 378,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,079,000 after purchasing an additional 11,351 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 85.1% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 370,759 shares of the company's stock worth $6,941,000 after buying an additional 170,467 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 8.2% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 350,124 shares of the company's stock worth $6,554,000 after purchasing an additional 26,652 shares during the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Company Profile

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is a business development company. It is a non-diversified, externally managed specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is based in NEW YORK.

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