Franklin Resources Inc. Takes Position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL)

Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 77,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,555,000. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MSDL. Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the third quarter valued at $510,000. Fountainhead AM LLC acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the third quarter worth approximately $515,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 377.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 123,822 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,449,000 after buying an additional 97,893 shares during the period. ASB Consultores LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,589,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 16.3% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,780,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,898,000 after buying an additional 250,167 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.42.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Stock Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending stock traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $21.35. The stock had a trading volume of 315,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,876. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a twelve month low of $19.05 and a twelve month high of $24.18. The business's 50 day moving average is $20.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.23.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Cuts Dividend

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

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending 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.