Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Posts Earnings Results, Meets Estimates

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45, Zacks reports. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 15.97%.The firm had revenue of $59.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.99 million.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE MSDL traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $15.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 761,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,429. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.61. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 52 week low of $13.66 and a 52 week high of $18.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.43 and a beta of 0.53.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.6%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is currently 178.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter valued at $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares during the period. Keystone Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter worth about $80,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSDL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $16.25 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $14.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.62.

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.