Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Short Interest Update

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 676,194 shares, a growth of 28.4% from the December 15th total of 526,430 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,022,815 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,022,815 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MSDL. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective (down from $17.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, CIO Ashwin Krishnan bought 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.72 per share, with a total value of $50,160.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive owned 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $50,160. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the second quarter worth $342,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at $557,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 370,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,941,000 after acquiring an additional 170,467 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 66.4% during the 2nd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 40,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 16,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 171,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,212,000 after purchasing an additional 16,179 shares during the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded down $0.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.56. The stock had a trading volume of 415,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 891,726. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.26.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $99.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.55 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 35.92% and a return on equity of 10.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS 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, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is presently 121.21%.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Company Profile

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.