JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Stock

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its target price upped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $16.00 to $16.50 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.12% from the company’s previous close.

MSDL has been the subject of several other reports. Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.92.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded up $0.02 on Monday, hitting $16.48. 352,401 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 641,259. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12-month low of $15.70 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 has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 9.99 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $17.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.36.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 35.92%.The firm had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.55 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, Director Adam S. Metz bought 28,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.67 per share, for a total transaction of $499,142.16. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 28,248 shares in the company, valued at $499,142.16. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi bought 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.78 per share, for a total transaction of $248,920.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $382,270. The trade was a 186.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 61,278 shares of company stock worth $1,075,221 over the last quarter. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 1,829,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,426,000 after purchasing an additional 68,014 shares during the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. grew its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 584,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,401,000 after purchasing an additional 128,990 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 538,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,667,000 after purchasing an additional 160,829 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 36.2% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 505,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,121,000 after buying an additional 134,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised 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 valued at $6,554,000 after buying 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.