Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Short Interest Down 22.6% in December

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 526,430 shares, a decrease of 22.6% from the November 30th total of 680,051 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 722,975 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 722,975 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on MSDL shares. Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.75.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,099,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 793,443. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 1 year low of $15.70 and a 1 year high of $21.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.25.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 35.92% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.55 million. On average, research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.8%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is currently 121.21%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other news, CIO Ashwin Krishnan acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.72 per share, with a total value of $50,160.00. Following the acquisition, the executive directly owned 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,160. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joan Binstock acquired 9,030 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $150,259.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,042 shares in the company, valued at $832,698.88. The trade was a 22.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders purchased 12,630 shares of company stock worth $210,265. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter valued at about $57,000.

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.