Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target Lowered to $16.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Price target lowered: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut its target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $16.00 and kept a "market perform" rating; the analyst consensus is "Hold" with an average target of $15.50.
• Quarterly results mixed: The fund reported EPS of $0.49 (in line with estimates) but revenue of $49.6M materially missed the $97.3M consensus, while the stock trades near $15.35 with a 50-day/200-day moving average of $14.85/$16.09.
• Insider buying: CEO Michael J. Occi bought 7,000 shares and executive Jeff M. Day bought 5,000 shares in early March at about $14.87–$14.89, increasing their stakes in the fund.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $16.50 to $16.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target would indicate a potential upside of 4.27% from the company's previous close.

MSDL has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $15.50.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE MSDL opened at $15.35 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock's 50 day moving average is $14.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.09. The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96 and a beta of 0.35. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 1-year low of $13.66 and a 1-year high of $20.00.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49. The company had revenue of $49.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.30 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 30.73%. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, CEO Michael Jr. Occi acquired 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.87 per share, for a total transaction of $104,090.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 28,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $423,795. This represents a 32.56% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jeff M. Day acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.89 per share, for a total transaction of $74,450.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $339,760.02. This trade represents a 28.06% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSDL. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth $32,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 53.3% in the third quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the company's stock worth $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.

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