Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Given New $16.00 Price Target at Royal Bank Of Canada

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its price target cut by Royal Bank Of Canada from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on MSDL. Zacks Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.50 to $16.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.33.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MSDL opened at $14.81 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 52-week low of $14.25 and a 52-week high of $20.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a current ratio of 45.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.74.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 30.73%.The firm had revenue of $49.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $97.30 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.2%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is presently 142.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jeff M. Day bought 5,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.89 per share, for a total transaction of $74,450.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,760.02. The trade was a 28.06% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi purchased 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.87 per share, with a total value of $104,090.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 28,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $423,795. The trade was a 32.56% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter worth $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter.

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.