MSDL Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund

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

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240509710535/en/

Investors Michael Occi msdl@morganstanley.com

Media Alyson Barnes 212-762-0514 alyson.barnes@morganstanley.com