UBS Group Cuts Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Price Target to $20.50

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at UBS Group from $21.00 to $20.50 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.11% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on MSDL. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.50.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MSDL traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $19.32. 184,413 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 672,702. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a twelve month low of $17.59 and a twelve month high of $24.18. The company has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $20.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.43.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSDL. Comerica Bank lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending by 100.0% during the fourth 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. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the first quarter valued at approximately $66,000. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in 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 valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 5,671 shares during the period.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

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.