Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Hits Expectations

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE:MSDL) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 business 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%

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $15.47. The stock had a trading volume of 761,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,429. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43 and a beta of 0.53. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund has a one year low of $13.66 and a one year high of $18.17. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.21.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund by 61.9% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the third quarter worth $72,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund during the fourth quarter worth $80,000.

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.