UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Stock Price

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at UBS Group from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 9.63% from the company’s current price.

MSDL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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 report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of 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, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.58.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSDL traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.60. 856,541 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 871,817. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a current ratio of 45.48. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a one year low of $14.25 and a one year high of $20.90. The company has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.77 and a 200 day moving average of $16.64.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 company had revenue of $49.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.30 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, insider Jeff M. Day bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $14.89 per share, for a total transaction of $74,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $339,760.02. This represents a 28.06% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi bought 7,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.87 per share, with a total value of $104,090.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 28,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $423,795. The trade was a 32.56% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSDL. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter valued at $32,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 62.3% during the second 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 during the period.

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.