Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Short Interest Update

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,351,569 shares, a growth of 48.0% from the February 26th total of 1,589,039 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 884,796 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

In other Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund news, insider Jeff M. Day bought 5,000 shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 $339,760.02. This represents a 28.06% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Jr. Occi bought 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.87 per share, for a total transaction of $104,090.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 28,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $423,795. This represents a 32.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MSDL. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 104,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,727,000 after acquiring an additional 6,911 shares during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at $185,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter valued at $523,000. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 100.8% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 47,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 23,689 shares during the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Price Performance

Shares of MSDL traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.02. 990,764 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 883,526. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 45.48 and a current ratio of 45.48. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a 12-month low of $14.00 and a 12-month high of $20.90. The company has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.01 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.37.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. The company had revenue of $49.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $97.30 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 30.73%. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.8%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund’s dividend payout ratio is 142.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MSDL. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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 report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $16.50 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.58.

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.