Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target Lowered to $14.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) had its target price reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $16.50 to $14.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.58.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MSDL opened at $14.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a current ratio of 45.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.73 and a 200 day moving average of $16.62. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.34. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a one year low of $14.25 and a one year high of $20.90.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $97.30 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.3%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is presently 142.86%.

Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, insider Jeff M. Day purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were purchased 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. The trade was a 28.06% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi acquired 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the chief executive officer owned 28,500 shares in the company, valued at $423,795. This represents 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 Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position 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 worth $49,000 after buying an additional 1,000 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.