How Many MSDL Shares for $500 or $1,000 a Month?
At $1.80 a share a year, $500 a month takes about 3,334 MSDL shares, about $46,143 at the Nov 13, 2026 close of $13.84. $1,000 a month takes about 6,667 shares, about $92,271. Before taxes, and only while the rate holds.
Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (MSDL) pays $0.45 a share quarterly, $1.80 a year, a 13.01% run-rate yield at the Nov 13, 2026 close of $13.84. It has paid since 2023 and raised its annual dividend 1 years in a row.
At today’s rate of $0.45 quarterly and the last close of $13.84, this is what MSDL pays before taxes, if the rate stays where it is:
| You hold | Each payment | Per month (avg) | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 share | $0.45 | $0.15 | $1.80 |
| 100 shares | $45.00 | $15.00 | $180.00 |
| $10,000 invested (722.5 shares) | $325.14 | $108.38 | $1,300.58 |
| 3,334 shares ($500/mo) | $1,500.30 | $500.10 | $6,001.20 |
| 6,667 shares ($1,000/mo) | $3,000.15 | $1,000.05 | $12,000.60 |
With DRIP on, every payment buys more shares instead of landing as cash. 100 MSDL shares reinvest into 3.25 new shares each payment, about 13.7 new shares a year at today’s price and rate, and each new share collects the next payment too. To DRIP one whole new share every payment you need about 31 shares. Raises speed that up; a falling share price buys more shares per payment, but each is worth less. See the snowball over 10 to 30 years with MSDL’s own history in the MSDL DRIP calculator.
- Coverage (EPS): are profits enough to pay the dividend rating
- Coverage (FCF): is spare cash enough to pay the dividend rating
- Dividend vs cash flow + debt: is the dividend paid with borrowed money report
- Debt load: how much the balance sheet leans on borrowing rating
- Debt interest coverage: can profits easily pay the interest bill rating
- Liquidity: is there cash for debts due this year rating
- Earnings direction: are sales and profits growing or shrinking report
- Raise streak: how many years in a row it raised see details
- Years without a cut: how long since the last dividend cut see details
- Raise vs trend: are recent raises keeping their usual pace history
- Yield vs history: is today’s yield high or low versus its past rating
- Recession record: what the dividend did in past crashes history
MSDL Dividend Yield Today vs Its 5-Year Range
- MSDL yields 13.01% today, at the Nov 13, 2026 close of $13.84.
- Its own 2-year median is 10.87%, so today’s yield is well above its usual level.
- No steady norm: under 3 years of regular payments on file. So this reads today’s yield against its own 2-year history as it is.
Where today ranks in its own history is in the paid report
How it works. Each month-end over the last 2 years gives one yield: the regular payment then, times payments a year, over that day’s close. Specials are left out. 50 means today’s yield sits right at its usual level. A lower score means the yield is below its usual level, so the price is high against the payout. A higher score means the yield is above its usual level. On price alone a payer stays between 15 and 85. Steady raisers get a few points back. It reads the past, not the future.
When Is MSDL’s Next Dividend? Ex-Date and Pay Date After October 2026
MSDL has not declared its next dividend yet. By its usual rhythm of about 91 days between ex-dates, the next ex-date falls around Dec 30, 2026, with the cash around Jan 1, 2027. An estimate, not a promise: only the declaration makes it final. The latest one, $0.45 a share, went ex on Sep 30, 2026 and paid Oct 2, 2026.
- Ex-dates: about every 91 days (quarterly)
- Payment: usually about 2 days after the ex-date
Every payer going ex-dividend this week is on the dividend calendar.
How Often Does MSDL Pay?
MSDL pays quarterly, 4 times a year. Recent payments arrived in Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct, with ex-dates in Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec. The ex-date comes about every 91 days, and the cash usually lands about 2 days later.
- Streak: 1 year of higher annual totals (through 2025)
- Last raise: none found in the regular-rate history
- EPS payout: 300.0% - $1.80 paid / $0.05 EPS (4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026); own 3-yr norm 80.4% (median of 8 earlier trailing years)
MSDL vs Similar Dividend Stocks (HQH, HFWA...)
Against the 10 dividend-paying Financial Services companies closest to MSDL in market value, MSDL’s 13.01% run-rate yield is above the group’s middle yield of 3.24%, and its raise streak of 1 year is the 5th longest. A higher yield than the group is not a bonus by itself: it is often the market pricing in a cut, so read it next to the rating and the coverage behind it.
| Ticker | Dividend ⓘ | Yield | Safety Rating | No cut ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSDL $13.84Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund | $0.45/qtr$1.80/yr fwd | 13.01% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 0 yrsraised 1 yr in a row |
| HQH $21.43Abrdn Healthcare Investors | $0.66/qtr$2.64/yr fwd | 12.32% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 3 yrsno raise streak |
| HFWA $28.26Heritage Financial | $0.25/qtr$1.00/yr fwd | 3.54% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 15 yrsraised 5 yrs in a row |
| AMTB $30.33Amerant Bancorp | $0.09/qtr$0.36/yr fwd | 1.19% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 3+ yrsno raise streak |
| FMBL $9,840.00Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach | $28.00/qtr$112.00/yr fwd | 1.14% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 23+ yrsraised 1 yr in a row |
| JCAP $20.88Jefferson Capital, Inc. Common Stock | $0.24/qtr$0.96/yr fwd | 4.60% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | —no raise streak |
| PFBC $103.78Preferred Bank | $0.80/qtr$3.20/yr fwd | 3.08% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 10+ yrsraised 5 yrs in a row |
| HBNC $21.27Horizon Bancorp | $0.16/qtr$0.64/yr fwd | 3.01% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 23+ yrsno raise streak |
| OCSL $12.17Oaktree Specialty Lending | $0.33/qtr$1.32/yr fwd | 10.85% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 0 yrsno raise streak |
| MCBS $36.50MetroCity Bankshares | $0.31/qtr$1.24/yr fwd | 3.40% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 5 yrsraised 5 yrs in a row |
| MBWM $61.25Mercantile Bank | $0.40/qtr$1.60/yr fwd | 2.61% | Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only | 12+ yrsraised 12 yrs in a row |
Yield and the safety rating are only half of it. See total returns with dividends reinvested, side by side: MSDL vs HQH, MSDL vs HFWA, MSDL vs AMTB.
MSDL Dividend History: Every Payment Since 2023
| Ex-date | Pay date | Amount | Frequency | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | Oct 2, 2026 | $0.45 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Jun 30, 2026 | Jul 2, 2026 | $0.45 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Mar 31, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 | $0.45 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Dec 31, 2025 | Jan 2, 2026 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Sep 30, 2025 | Oct 2, 2025 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Jun 30, 2025 | Jul 2, 2025 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Mar 31, 2025 | Apr 2, 2025 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Dec 31, 2024 | Jan 2, 2025 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Nov 4, 2024 | Nov 6, 2024 | $0.10 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Oct 2, 2024 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Aug 7, 2024 | $0.10 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Jun 28, 2024 | Jul 1, 2024 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Mar 27, 2024 | Mar 29, 2024 | $0.50 | Quarterly | Regular |
| Dec 27, 2023 | Jan 25, 2024 | $0.60 | Quarterly | Regular |
What the Dividend Safety Rating Means for MSDL
MSDL Dividend Questions
How often does MSDL pay dividends?
MSDL pays quarterly, 4 times a year. Recent payments arrived in Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct, with ex-dates in Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec. The ex-date comes about every 91 days, and the cash usually lands about 2 days later.
Does MSDL pay dividends monthly?
No. MSDL pays quarterly, 4 times a year. For payers that pay every month, see the monthly dividend stocks.
When is the next MSDL dividend?
MSDL has not declared its next dividend yet. By its usual rhythm of about 91 days between ex-dates, the next ex-date falls around Dec 30, 2026, with the cash around Jan 1, 2027. An estimate, not a promise: only the declaration makes it final. The latest one, $0.45 a share, went ex on Sep 30, 2026 and paid Oct 2, 2026. The current rate is $0.45 per share, $1.80 a year.
Does MSDL pay a dividend in January 2027?
Not declared yet. By its usual rhythm the next ex-date falls around Dec 30, 2026, with the cash around Jan 1, 2027, so a payment in January 2027 is likely. Only the company’s declaration makes it final.
How much does MSDL pay per share?
MSDL pays $0.45 a share quarterly, $1.80 a year. At the Nov 13, 2026 close of $13.84 that is a 13.01% run-rate yield, well above its usual level: its own 2-year median is 10.87%.
Has MSDL raised its dividend?
Yes. MSDL has raised its annual dividend 1 years in a row, through 2025. Since then the rate was cut on Mar 31, 2026, from $0.50 to $0.45.
Is MSDL’s dividend safe?
No rating can promise a future payment, but the record on file says a lot. MSDL paid out 300% of its earnings as dividends over the 4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026. It has raised its dividend 1 years in a row. This is data, not investment advice. The full 6-check rating comes with a plan.
How do I track my MSDL dividends?
Add MSDL to a free DRIPCalc portfolio once, with your buy date and share count. Every payout since fills in, dated and in dollars; with DRIP on, the new shares each payment buys are counted for you, so there is no spreadsheet to update and no broker login. To project the snowball, run MSDL in the DRIP calculator.
