UBS Group Raises Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target to $21.00

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $20.50 to $21.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.65% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.50 to $19.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.10.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

NYSE:MSDL traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $19.69. 427,488 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 389,522. The firm has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.03 and a beta of 0.34. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 52 week low of $17.59 and a 52 week high of $22.87. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $19.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $101.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $102.86 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 11.80% and a net margin of 47.65%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin Shannon acquired 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $19.43 per share, with a total value of $194,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 5,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $110,751. This trade represents a -232.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MSDL. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $71,000. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $103,000.

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.