Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL) Hits New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending's shares hit a new **52-week low** at $13.52, with recent trading at $13.57, prompting concerns about whether it's time to sell.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on the stock, with price targets ranging from **$17.50** to **$18.00**, and a consensus rating of **"Hold."**
• The company announced a **quarterly dividend** of $0.45, translating to an annual yield of **13.2%**, but with a high dividend payout ratio of **98.90%.**

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE:NCDL - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $13.52 and last traded at $13.57, with a volume of 42562 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $13.70.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on NCDL shares. JMP Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $18.50 to $18.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $16.50 to $17.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $16.63.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Stock Down 0.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $672.65 million, a P/E ratio of 7.48 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.50 and its 200 day moving average is $15.91.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 43.35%.The firm had revenue of $53.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $54.41 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Treasurer Shaul Vichness purchased 5,000 shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.85 per share, with a total value of $74,250.00. Following the transaction, the treasurer directly owned 15,000 shares in the company, valued at $222,750. The trade was a 50.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCDL. GraniteShares Advisors LLC lifted its position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC now owns 156,645 shares of the company's stock worth $2,660,000 after buying an additional 9,490 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 364.4% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 342,773 shares of the company's stock worth $5,820,000 after acquiring an additional 268,968 shares in the last quarter. Dover Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 6.5% during the first quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 16,500 shares of the company's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 165.7% during the first quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC now owns 82,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 51,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the first quarter valued at approximately $115,000.

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Company Profile

Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. is a specialty finance company focused primarily on investing in senior secured loans to private equity-owned U.S. middle market companies. It has elected to be regulated as a business development company. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. is based in NEW YORK.

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