Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Receives $15.50 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.50.

A number of brokerages recently commented on MSDL. UBS Group decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.25 to $15.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Up 0.6%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock opened at $14.72 on Friday. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a fifty-two week low of $13.66 and a fifty-two week high of $17.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.09. The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 0.54.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 9.61%. The firm had revenue of $59.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.99 million. Research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 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 12.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is presently 260.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter worth about $32,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,000.

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.