Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target Lowered to $16.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $16.50 to $16.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target points to a potential upside of 4.27% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on MSDL. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. 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. 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 report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.50.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:MSDL opened at $15.35 on Thursday. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12 month low of $13.66 and a 12 month high of $20.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.09. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96 and a beta of 0.35.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a net margin of 30.73% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The business had revenue of $49.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $97.30 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael Jr. Occi bought 7,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $423,795. This represents a 32.56% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff M. Day acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.89 per share, with a total value of $74,450.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 22,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $339,760.02. This represents a 28.06% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter.

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.