Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Sets New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $17.59 and last traded at $18.78, with a volume of 1132260 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSDL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.10.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Trading Up 1.0 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $20.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.44.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $103.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.02 million. Equities analysts expect that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.35%. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.30%.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the first quarter valued at about $66,000. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the fourth quarter worth about $84,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the fourth quarter worth about $103,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 515.5% in the fourth 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 during the period.

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.