Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Given New $20.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) had its target price trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $21.00 to $20.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:MSDL opened at $20.42 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a 1-year low of $19.28 and a 1-year high of $24.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $20.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.48.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.06). Morgan Stanley Direct Lending had a net margin of 54.89% and a return on equity of 12.69%. The business had revenue of $103.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.02 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Announces Dividend

The company 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 9.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending’s payout ratio is currently 82.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Comerica Bank increased its position in 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 during the last quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the 4th quarter worth about $84,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the 4th quarter worth about $103,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 515.5% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 5,671 shares in the last quarter.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Company Profile

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.