Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

by · The Markets Daily

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL – Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $19.21 and last traded at $19.25, with a volume of 389501 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MSDL. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.38.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MSDL

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Trading Down 6.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.38 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $20.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.53.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.06). Morgan Stanley Direct Lending had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 54.89%. The business had revenue of $103.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.02 million. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 15,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 26,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 11.6% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 38,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 4,025 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

(Get Free Report)

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is a business development company. It is a non-diversified, externally managed specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund is based in NEW YORK.

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