Fountainhead AM LLC Invests $515,000 in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL)

Fountainhead AM LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 26,031 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 1st quarter valued at about $223,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the first quarter worth approximately $223,000. Everpar Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $377,000. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $510,000.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Price Performance

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $20.11. 575,300 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 181,555. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $19.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $1.80 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.89. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a 12-month low of $19.05 and a 12-month high of $24.18.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63. The firm had revenue of $104.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending had a return on equity of 12.77% and a net margin of 54.89%. Equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MSDL. UBS Group lowered shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $23.50 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.42.

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.