Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund Announces March 31, 2024 Financial Results and Declares Second Quarter 2024 Dividend of $0.50 per Share

Rhea-AI Summary

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE: MSDL) announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2024, highlighting strong operating performance and stable credit. The company reported net investment income of $54.7 million, a net asset value of $20.67 per share, and declared a dividend of $0.50 per share. Despite a slight decrease in total investment income, the company maintained a solid portfolio with investments in various industries. The company's debt-to-equity ratio improved to 0.81x, demonstrating financial stability.

Positive

• Strong first quarter operating results supported by stable credit performance.

• Net investment income of $54.7 million and net asset value of $20.67 per share.

• New investment commitments of $232.1 million and total investment portfolio of approximately $3.3 billion.

• Quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share paid to stockholders.

• Improved debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81x as of March 31, 2024.

Negative

• Slight decrease in total investment income compared to the previous quarter.

• Realized losses of $5.6 million offset by $2.7 million in unrealized appreciation.

• Three investments on non-accrual status, representing 0.4% of total investments at amortized cost.

• Debt outstanding of $1.492 billion with a weighted average interest rate of 6.69%.

• Decline in debt-to-equity ratio from 0.87x to 0.81x due to the IPO execution.

Insights

Financial Analyst

The announcement of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's (MSDL) first-quarter financial results represents a mixed bag for investors. A stable net asset value of $20.67 per share post-IPO suggests a resilient underlying portfolio, despite the dilution that is often an aftermath of public offerings. This is critical as it underscores the fund's ability to maintain asset valuations in a dynamic market. The marginal decrease in debt-to-equity ratio from 0.87x to 0.81x indicates a conservative approach in leveraging, which can be a double-edged sword: it may limit exposure to risk, yet also potentially restrict growth opportunities. Furthermore, a consistent quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share amidst these financial dynamics could be perceived as a commitment to provide regular shareholder returns; however, the absence of a special dividend compared to the previous quarter could signal a strategic allocation of capital towards other areas or simply a normalization of payout policy following the IPO. Given the current financial ratios and the stability of the NAV, the investor sentiment could receive this as a cautiously optimistic signal.

Market Research Analyst

The Fund's portfolio diversification with a presence in 31 industries and an average investment size that represents a mere 0.6% of the total fair value is commendable, indicating a strategic risk mitigation approach. The slight dip in total investment income and operating expenses is not particularly alarming, reflecting regular ebbs and flows rather than a significant trend. A critical aspect for investors to note is the fair value composition of the portfolio, skewed heavily towards first lien debt at 94.6%. This preference for senior secured loans can be seen as a protective measure to shield from downside risk, especially in uncertain market conditions. Additionally, the reaffirmation of the BBB- (stable) rating by Fitch Ratings serves as an external validation of MSDL's creditworthiness. Given these insights, while there are no immediate red flags, investors would do well to monitor the Fund's ability to sustain its performance, especially in terms of balancing income generation with prudent investment choices.

Credit Analyst

A deeper dive into MSDL's credit profile reveals a prudent management of liabilities, as evidenced by the decreased debt-to-equity ratios and the amendment of the Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility with Truist Bank. Extending the maturity and maintaining pricing terms, despite an increased commitment, reflects strong negotiation capacity and a vote of confidence from the lender. The combined weighted average interest rate of 6.69% should be considered in the context of prevailing market rates and the company's credit rating. With the majority of the portfolio comprising floating rate debt at near-total proportion, MSDL is positioned to benefit from rising interest rate environments; however, this could also pose a risk if rates were to decrease sharply. The non-accrual status on approximately 0.4% of total investments at amortized cost seems manageable and shouldn't raise immediate concerns, although it’s a metric that requires ongoing surveillance. Overall, the fund's credit apparatus appears to be solid, which can be a reassuring factor for stakeholders evaluating credit risk.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE: MSDL) (“MSDL” or the “Company”), a business development company externally managed by MS Capital Partners Adviser Inc. (the “Adviser”), today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

“MSDL generated strong first quarter operating results, supported by continued stable credit performance,” said Jeffrey Levin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund. “We have constructed what we believe to be a resilient middle-market portfolio of senior, sponsor-backed loans and believe we are well positioned to generate strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors as market trends evolve.”

QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS

• Net investment income of $54.7 million, or $0.63 per share;
• Net asset value of $20.67 per share, unchanged as compared to December 31, 2023, despite dilution from our Initial Public Offering (“IPO”);
• Debt-to-equity was 0.81x as of March 31, 2024, as compared to 0.87x as of December 31, 2023;
• New investment commitments of $232.1 million, fundings of $168.4 million and sales and repayments of $71.7 million, resulting in net funded portfolio increase of $96.7 million; and
• The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) declared a regular dividend of $0.50 per share, paid on April 25, 2024 to stockholders of record as of March 29, 2024.

SELECTED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

	For the Quarter Ended
	March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Net investment income per share	$0.63		$0.67
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) per share1	($0.05)		$0.03
Earnings per share	$0.59		$0.70
Regular dividend per share	$0.50		$0.50
Special dividend per share	-		$0.10
	As of
($ in thousands, except per share information)	March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Investments, at fair value	$3,293,205		$3,193,561
Total debt outstanding, at principal	$1,492,257		$1,502,263
Net assets	$1,837,027		$1,721,151
Net asset value per share	$20.67		$20.67
Debt to equity	0.81x		0.87x
Net debt to equity	0.77x		0.83x
1 Amount shown may not correspond for the period as it includes the effect of the timing of the distribution and the issuance of common stock.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Total investment income for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024 was $99.1 million, compared to $100.8 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2023. The slight decrease was driven by a reduction in non-recurring repayment related income.

Total operating expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 were $44.5 million, compared to $45.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in operating expenses quarter over quarter was attributable to lower interest and other financing expenses and lower incentive fees due to the partial incentive fee waiver for one year after the Company’s IPO and partially offset by higher management fees.

Net investment income for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 was $54.7 million, or $0.63 per share, compared to $55.5 million, or $0.67 per share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2024, net change in unrealized appreciation on investments was $2.7 million offset by realized losses of $5.6 million.

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

As of March 31, 2024, the Company’s investment portfolio had a fair value of approximately $3.3 billion, comprised of 178 portfolio companies across 31 industries, with an average investment size of $18.5 million, or 0.6% of our total portfolio on a fair value basis. The composition of the Company’s investments was the following:

		March 31, 2024									December 31, 2023
($ in thousands)		Cost			Fair Value			% of Total Investments at Fair Value			Cost			Fair Value			% of Total Investments Fair Value
First Lien Debt		$	3,131,129		$	3,115,404		94.6	%		$	3,027,413		$	3,004,544		94.1	%
Second Lien Debt			136,708			118,107		3.6				146,014			132,415		4.1
Other Investments			55,930			59,694		1.8				53,349			56,602		1.8
Total		$	3,323,767		$	3,293,205		100.0	%		$	3,226,776		$	3,193,561		100.0	%

Investment activity for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, was as follows:

Investment Activity:	March 31, 2024	December 31, 2023
New investment commitments, at par	$232,120	$242,891
Investment fundings	$168,357	$253,867
Number of new Investment commitments in portfolio companies	9	12
Number of portfolio companies exited or fully repaid	3	5

Total weighted average yield of investments in debt securities at amortized cost and fair value was 11.9% and 12.0%, respectively, as of March 31, 2024, compared to 12.0% and 12.1%, respectively as of December 31, 2023. Floating rate debt investments as a percentage of total portfolio on a fair value basis remained unchanged from December 31, 2023 at 99.9% as of March 31, 2024. As of March 31, 2024, three investments were on non-accrual status, representing approximately 0.4% of total investments at amortized cost.

CAPITAL AND LIQUIDITY

As of March 31, 2024, the Company had total principal debt outstanding of $1,492.3 million, including $300.0 million outstanding in the Company’s BNP funding facility, $492.3 million outstanding in the Company’s Truist credit facility, $275.0 million outstanding in the Company’s senior unsecured notes due September 2025, and $425.0 million outstanding in the Company’s senior unsecured notes due February 2027. The combined weighted average interest rate on debt outstanding was 6.69% for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. As of March 31, 2024, the Company had $923.7 million of availability under its credit facilities and $64.8 million in cash. Debt to equity was 0.81x and 0.87x as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, with the decline primarily attributable to the IPO being executed during the first quarter.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

• On May 8, 2024, the Board declared a distribution of $0.50 per share, which is payable on July 25, 2024 to shareholders of record as of June 28, 2024.
• On April 19, 2024, the Company executed an amendment to its Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility with Truist Bank, extending the maturity from January 2028 to April 2029. As part of the amendment, the total commitment was increased from $1.12 to $1.30 billion and pricing terms were maintained.
• In late March, Fitch Ratings affirmed MSDL’s BBB- (stable) rating.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund will host a conference call on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 10:00 am ET to review its financial results and conduct a question-and-answer session. All interested parties are invited to participate in the live earnings conference call by using the following dial-in numbers or audio webcast link available on the MSDL Investor Relations website:

• Audio Webcast
• Conference Call
• Domestic: 888-256-1007
• International: 323-701-0225
• Passcode: 6641924

To avoid potential delays, please join at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the earnings call. An archived replay will also be available on the MSDL Investor Relations website.

About Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (NYSE: MSDL) is a non-diversified, externally managed specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. MSDL has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. MSDL is externally managed by MS Capital Partners Adviser Inc., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley. MSDL is not a subsidiary of or consolidated with Morgan Stanley. For more information about Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund, please visit www.msdl.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements included herein or on the webcast/conference call may constitute “forward-looking statements,” which relate to future events or MSDL’s future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and conditions may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in MSDL’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. MSDL undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein or on the webcast/conference call.

Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities (In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
		As of
		March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
		(Unaudited)			(Audited)
Assets
Non-controlled/non-affiliated investments, at fair value (amortized cost of $3,323,767 and $3,226,776)		$	3,293,205		$	3,193,561
Cash			64,762			69,705
Deferred financing costs			13,391			14,317
Interest and dividend receivable from non-controlled/non-affiliated investments			29,341			28,884
Subscription receivable			—			41
Receivable for investments sold/repaid			348			173
Prepaid expenses and other assets			300			53
Total assets			3,401,347			3,306,734
Liabilities
Debt (net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $4,982 and $5,564)			1,486,661			1,496,032
Payable for investment purchased			2,972			8
Payable to affiliates (Note 3)			2,511			2,870
Dividends payable			44,447			49,968
Management fees payable			5,132			2,012
Income based incentive fees payable			10,126			11,766
Interest payable			8,963			18,823
Accrued expenses and other liabilities			3,508			4,104
Total liabilities			1,564,320			1,585,583
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7)
Net assets
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value (1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding)			—			—
Common stock, par value $0.001 (100,000,000 shares authorized; 88,894,490 and 83,278,831 shares issued and outstanding)			89			83
Paid-in capital in excess of par value			1,821,242			1,712,609
Total distributable earnings (loss)			15,696			8,459
Total net assets		$	1,837,027		$	1,721,151
Total liabilities and net assets		$	3,401,347		$	3,306,734
Net asset value per share		$	20.67		$	20.67

Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) (In thousands, except share amounts)
		For the Three Months Ended
		March 31, 2024				March 31, 2023
Investment Income:
From non-controlled/non-affiliated investments:
Interest income		$	94,631			$	81,717
Payment-in-kind			2,644				441
Dividend income			565				496
Other income			1,261				985
Total investment income			99,101				83,639
Expenses:
Interest and other financing expenses			27,260				26,667
Management fees			8,230				7,304
Income based incentive fees			11,336				9,381
Professional fees			1,217				1,241
Directors’ fees			146				80
Administrative service fees			25				54
General and other expenses			108				168
Total expenses			48,322				44,895
Management fees waiver (Note 3)			(3,098	)			(5,478	)
Incentive fees waiver (Note 3)			(1,210	)			—
Net expenses			44,014				39,417
Net investment income (loss) before taxes			55,087				44,222
Excise tax expense			436				—
Net investment income (loss) after taxes			54,651				44,222
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss):
Net realized gain (loss) on non-controlled/non-affiliated investments			(5,625	)			122
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on non-controlled/non-affiliated investments			2,658				(567	)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)			(2,967	)			(445	)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations		$	51,684			$	43,777
Net investment income (loss) per share (basic and diluted)		$	0.63			$	0.62
Earnings per share (basic and diluted)		$	0.59			$	0.62
Weighted average shares outstanding:			87,358,527				70,863,184

 

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Investors

Michael Occi

msdl@morganstanley.com

Media

Alyson Barnes

212-762-0514

alyson.barnes@morganstanley.com

Source: Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

FAQ

What is the dividend declared by Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund for the second quarter of 2024?

Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund declared a dividend of $0.50 per share for the second quarter of 2024.

How much was the company's net investment income for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024?

The company reported net investment income of $54.7 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

What was the debt-to-equity ratio of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund as of March 31, 2024?

The debt-to-equity ratio of Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund was 0.81x as of March 31, 2024.

What was the total investment income for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter?

Total investment income for the first quarter of 2024 was $99.1 million, slightly lower than the $100.8 million reported for the previous quarter.

How many investments were on non-accrual status as of March 31, 2024?

As of March 31, 2024, three investments were on non-accrual status, representing about 0.4% of total investments at amortized cost.