Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target to $20.00

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) had its price objective reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $21.00 to $20.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Stock Performance

NYSE MSDL opened at $20.13 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion and a P/E ratio of 7.89. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a 1-year low of $19.28 and a 1-year high of $24.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.48.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $103.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.02 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending had a net margin of 54.89% and a return on equity of 12.69%. Equities analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Comerica Bank lifted its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $68,000. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 515.5% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 5,671 shares during the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Company Profile

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is a business development company. It is a non-diversified, externally managed specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is based in NEW YORK.