Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Stock Price Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.17 and traded as high as $14.27. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund shares last traded at $14.2050, with a volume of 487,545 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on MSDL shares. UBS Group cut their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.25 to $15.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Raymond James Financial set a $15.00 target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.17.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $14.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 9.61%. The company had revenue of $88.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.99 million. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caz Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the second quarter worth $6,040,000. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 37.6% in the 1st quarter. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC now owns 1,052,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,691,000 after buying an additional 287,808 shares during the last quarter. LM Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,310,000. Arlington Capital Management INC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,006,000. Finally, TT Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. TT Capital Management LLC now owns 411,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,603,000 after buying an additional 67,742 shares during the period.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Company Profile

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE: MSDL) is a business development company focused on providing financing to privately held, middle-market companies. The fund seeks to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by investing primarily in senior secured loans and other debt investments.

MSDL generally targets established companies with strong market positions and invests across a range of industries. Its portfolio may include first-lien and unitranche loans, as well as selectively structured junior debt and equity investments.