Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $13.66 and last traded at $13.6450, with a volume of 209692 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.27.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have recently commented on MSDL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.25 to $15.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.50.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Down 4.4%
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 15.97%.The company had revenue of $88.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.99 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current year.
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is currently 260.87%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSDL. Sweeney & Michel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the first quarter valued at about $154,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 3.1% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 133,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 3,980 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $185,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at about $165,000.
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Company Profile
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE: MSDL) is a business development company focused on providing financing to middle-market companies. The fund seeks to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by investing primarily in privately negotiated senior secured loans and other debt investments.
MSDL generally targets established businesses across a range of industries and may make investments in companies backed by private equity sponsors as well as in non-sponsored businesses.
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