Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) Short Interest Update

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 164,100 shares, a decline of 51.2% from the December 31st total of 336,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 524,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Stock Up 0.6 %

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Thursday, hitting $21.01. 519,321 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 645,046. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.98 and its 200 day moving average is $20.36. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending has a 52 week low of $19.05 and a 52 week high of $24.18. The company has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion and a P/E ratio of 8.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending (NYSE:MSDL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $109.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.55 million. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 54.89%. Analysts predict that Morgan Stanley Direct Lending will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley Direct Lending from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.58.

Institutional Trading of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the third quarter worth $32,000. Muzinich & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 3rd quarter valued at about $68,000. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Morgan Stanley Direct Lending during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $245,000.

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.