Short Interest in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Drops By 22.6%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 526,430 shares, a decrease of 22.6% from the November 30th total of 680,051 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 722,975 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 722,975 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE MSDL traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,099,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 793,443. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.72. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.25. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 1-year low of $15.70 and a 1-year high of $21.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 35.92%.The company had revenue of $99.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.55 million. On average, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s payout ratio is 121.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MSDL shares. Raymond James Financial set a $18.50 price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $18.00 price target (down from $19.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joan Binstock purchased 9,030 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $150,259.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,042 shares in the company, valued at $832,698.88. The trade was a 22.02% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CIO Ashwin Krishnan acquired 3,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.72 per share, with a total value of $50,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive directly owned 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,160. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 12,630 shares of company stock worth $210,265. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keystone Financial Group bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter valued at $72,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 229.4% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 16,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 11,700 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter worth about $435,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 1.2% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 213,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,435,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578 shares during the last quarter.

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.