Free Trial

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (MSDL) Competitors

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund logo
$15.52 +0.37 (+2.44%)
As of 12:02 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

MSDL vs. MAIN, GBDC, FSK, HTGC, and TSLX

Should you buy Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund include Main Street Capital (MAIN), Golub Capital BDC (GBDC), FS KKR Capital (FSK), Hercules Capital (HTGC), and Sixth Street Specialty Lending (TSLX). These companies are all part of the "fin - sbic&commrl" industry.

How does Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund compare to Main Street Capital?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) and Main Street Capital (NYSE:MAIN) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.6%. Main Street Capital pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.0%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays out 178.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Main Street Capital pays out 65.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Main Street Capital has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Main Street Capital has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Main Street Capital had 13 more articles in the media than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Main Street Capital and 0 mentions for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Main Street Capital's average media sentiment score of 0.82 beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's score of 0.67 indicating that Main Street Capital is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Positive
Main Street Capital Positive

20.3% of Main Street Capital shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of Main Street Capital shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Main Street Capital has a net margin of 74.86% compared to Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's net margin of 22.84%. Main Street Capital's return on equity of 12.01% beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund22.84% 9.73% 4.37%
Main Street Capital 74.86%12.01%6.47%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund currently has a consensus price target of $15.54, indicating a potential upside of 0.40%. Main Street Capital has a consensus price target of $59.14, indicating a potential upside of 14.20%. Given Main Street Capital's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Main Street Capital is more favorable than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.14
Main Street Capital
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.18

Main Street Capital has higher revenue and earnings than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Main Street Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund$397.29M3.30$122.09M$1.0115.33
Main Street Capital$566.39M8.50$493.40M$4.7510.90

Summary

Main Street Capital beats Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund on 17 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund compare to Golub Capital BDC?

Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) and Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Golub Capital BDC pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.1%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.6%. Golub Capital BDC pays out 171.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays out 178.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

In the previous week, Golub Capital BDC had 5 more articles in the media than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Golub Capital BDC and 0 mentions for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Golub Capital BDC's average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's score of 0.67 indicating that Golub Capital BDC is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Golub Capital BDC Positive
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Positive

42.4% of Golub Capital BDC shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Golub Capital BDC shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Golub Capital BDC presently has a consensus price target of $14.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.91%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a consensus price target of $15.54, suggesting a potential upside of 0.40%. Given Golub Capital BDC's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Golub Capital BDC is more favorable than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Golub Capital BDC
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.14

Golub Capital BDC has a net margin of 24.64% compared to Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's net margin of 22.84%. Golub Capital BDC's return on equity of 10.20% beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Golub Capital BDC24.64% 10.20% 4.47%
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund 22.84%9.73%4.37%

Golub Capital BDC has a beta of 0.39, indicating that its share price is 61% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a beta of 0.53, indicating that its share price is 47% less volatile than the broader market.

Golub Capital BDC has higher revenue and earnings than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Golub Capital BDC, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Golub Capital BDC$870.78M3.92$376.65M$0.7717.01
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund$397.29M3.30$122.09M$1.0115.33

Summary

Golub Capital BDC beats Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund on 16 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund compare to FS KKR Capital?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) and FS KKR Capital (NYSE:FSK) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund currently has a consensus target price of $15.54, indicating a potential upside of 0.40%. FS KKR Capital has a consensus target price of $10.58, indicating a potential downside of 3.13%. Given Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is more favorable than FS KKR Capital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.14
FS KKR Capital
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.88

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has higher earnings, but lower revenue than FS KKR Capital. FS KKR Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund$397.29M3.30$122.09M$1.0115.33
FS KKR Capital$1.52B2.01$11M-$1.97N/A

In the previous week, FS KKR Capital had 39 more articles in the media than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for FS KKR Capital and 0 mentions for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat FS KKR Capital's score of 0.19 indicating that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Positive
FS KKR Capital Neutral

36.3% of FS KKR Capital shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of FS KKR Capital shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, FS KKR Capital has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a net margin of 22.84% compared to FS KKR Capital's net margin of -38.65%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's return on equity of 9.73% beat FS KKR Capital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund22.84% 9.73% 4.37%
FS KKR Capital -38.65%4.34%1.85%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.6%. FS KKR Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 16.5%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays out 178.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. FS KKR Capital pays out -91.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. FS KKR Capital is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund beats FS KKR Capital on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund compare to Hercules Capital?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) and Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, media sentiment, valuation, dividends, risk and profitability.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.6%. Hercules Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.4%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays out 178.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Hercules Capital pays out 90.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Hercules Capital has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Hercules Capital has higher revenue and earnings than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Hercules Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund$397.29M3.30$122.09M$1.0115.33
Hercules Capital$532.49M5.43$339.74M$1.778.73

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Hercules Capital has a beta of 0.8, meaning that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the broader market.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund currently has a consensus target price of $15.54, suggesting a potential upside of 0.40%. Hercules Capital has a consensus target price of $18.21, suggesting a potential upside of 17.82%. Given Hercules Capital's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hercules Capital is more favorable than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.14
Hercules Capital
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.75

Hercules Capital has a net margin of 59.85% compared to Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's net margin of 22.84%. Hercules Capital's return on equity of 16.05% beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund22.84% 9.73% 4.37%
Hercules Capital 59.85%16.05%7.78%

19.7% of Hercules Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Hercules Capital shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, Hercules Capital had 1 more articles in the media than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Hercules Capital and 0 mentions for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Hercules Capital's average media sentiment score of 1.71 beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's score of 0.67 indicating that Hercules Capital is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Positive
Hercules Capital Very Positive

Summary

Hercules Capital beats Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund on 18 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund compare to Sixth Street Specialty Lending?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) and Sixth Street Specialty Lending (NYSE:TSLX) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, dividends, valuation, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending has higher revenue and earnings than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Sixth Street Specialty Lending is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund$397.29M3.30$122.09M$1.0115.33
Sixth Street Specialty Lending$449.05M3.71$209.99M$1.1515.25

Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a net margin of 25.25% compared to Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's net margin of 22.84%. Sixth Street Specialty Lending's return on equity of 11.92% beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund22.84% 9.73% 4.37%
Sixth Street Specialty Lending 25.25%11.92%5.54%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its share price is 47% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a beta of 0.6, suggesting that its share price is 40% less volatile than the broader market.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund currently has a consensus price target of $15.54, indicating a potential upside of 0.40%. Sixth Street Specialty Lending has a consensus price target of $19.83, indicating a potential upside of 13.07%. Given Sixth Street Specialty Lending's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Sixth Street Specialty Lending is more favorable than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.14
Sixth Street Specialty Lending
1 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.6%. Sixth Street Specialty Lending pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.5%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund pays out 178.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Sixth Street Specialty Lending pays out 160.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

70.3% of Sixth Street Specialty Lending shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of Sixth Street Specialty Lending shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, Sixth Street Specialty Lending had 1 more articles in the media than Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Sixth Street Specialty Lending and 0 mentions for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. Sixth Street Specialty Lending's average media sentiment score of 1.65 beat Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's score of 0.67 indicating that Sixth Street Specialty Lending is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Positive
Sixth Street Specialty Lending Very Positive

Summary

Sixth Street Specialty Lending beats Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund on 16 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

Get Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund News Delivered to You Automatically

Sign up to receive the latest news and ratings for MSDL and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.

Subscribe Now
SMS is currently available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By entering your phone number and clicking the sign-up button, you agree to receive periodic text messages from MarketBeat at the phone number you submitted, including texts that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Messages will consist of stock alerts, news stories, and partner advertisements/offers. Consent is not a condition of the purchase of any goods or services. Text HELP for help/customer support. Unsubscribe at any time by replying "STOP" to any text message that you receive from MarketBeat or by visiting our mailing preferences page. Read our full terms of service and privacy policy.

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MSDL and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
Skip Chart

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
Skip Chart

MSDL vs. The Competition

MetricMorgan Stanley Direct Lending FundFIN IndustryFinance SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$1.31B$1.31B$13.55B$23.28B
Dividend Yield11.54%12.96%5.75%4.06%
P/E Ratio15.3111.0119.9031.04
Price / Sales3.3014.08141.9124.10
Price / Cash5.847.1519.8724.93
Price / Book0.770.772.194.71
Net Income$122.09M$121.13M$1.13B$1.07B
7 Day Performance1.22%-0.36%0.03%-0.26%
1 Month PerformanceN/AN/AN/A2.47%
1 Year Performance-20.58%-20.08%11.96%25.87%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
MSDL
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
2.9554 of 5 stars
$15.52
+2.4%
$15.54
+0.1%
-23.1%$1.32B$397.29M15.37N/A
MAIN
Main Street Capital
3.0307 of 5 stars
$51.17
+3.1%
$59.14
+15.6%
-10.3%$4.76B$566.39M10.7790
GBDC
Golub Capital BDC
3.5993 of 5 stars
$13.09
+1.6%
$14.00
+7.0%
-14.3%$3.41B$870.78M17.00N/A
FSK
FS KKR Capital
2.2407 of 5 stars
$10.88
+0.9%
$10.58
-2.7%
-49.1%$3.05B$1.52BN/AN/A
HTGC
Hercules Capital
4.4989 of 5 stars
$15.66
+2.1%
$18.21
+16.3%
-14.2%$2.93B$532.49M8.85100

Related Companies and Tools


This page (NYSE:MSDL) was last updated on 6/4/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
From Our Partners