Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL – Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.5417.
MSDL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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. UBS Group increased their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.25 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on 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.
Get Our Latest Analysis on MSDL
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.02. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 22.84%.The firm had revenue of $58.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.89 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is currently 178.22%.
Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSDL. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 1st quarter worth $42,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares during the period.
About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
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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