Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (dollar amounts in thousands, except per share amounts, unless otherwise indicated)
In this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this “Report”, except where context suggests otherwise, the terms “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us” refers to Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund and its consolidated subsidiaries. This Report, including the documents we incorporate by reference into this Report, contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about us, our current and prospective portfolio investments, our industry, our beliefs and opinions and our assumptions. For the avoidance of doubt, we are not a subsidiary of, or consolidated with, Morgan Stanley. Furthermore, Morgan Stanley has no obligation, contractual or otherwise, to financially support us. Morgan Stanley has no history of financially supporting any business development company (“BDC”) on the MS Private Credit platform, even during periods of financial distress. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “targets,” “projects,” “potential,” “predicts,” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements, including:
•our future operating results;
•our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies;
•risk associated with possible disruptions in our operations or the economy generally, including disruptions from the impact of global health events and natural disasters;
•uncertainty and changes in the general interest rate environment;
•general economic, political and industry trends and other external factors, including uncertainty surrounding the financial and political stability of the United States and other countries;
•the effect of an inflationary economic environment on our portfolio companies, our financial condition and our results of operations;
•the impact of interruptions in the supply chain on our portfolio companies;
•disruptions related to tariffs and other trade or sanctions issues;
•our contractual arrangements and relationships with third parties;
•actual and potential conflicts of interest with MS Capital Partners Adviser Inc., our investment adviser (the “Adviser” or the “Investment Adviser”) and its affiliates;
•the dependence of our future success on the general economy and its effect on the industries in which we invest;
•the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives;
•the timing and amount of cash flows, distributions and dividends, if any, from the operations of our portfolio companies;
•the use of borrowed money to finance a portion of our investments;
•the adequacy of our financing sources and working capital;
•the ability of our Adviser to locate suitable investments for us and to monitor and administer our investments;
•the ability of our Adviser and its affiliates to attract and retain highly talented professionals;
•our ability to maintain our qualification as a BDC and as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”);
•the impact on our business of U.S. and international financial reform legislation, rules and regulations;
•currency fluctuations, particularly to the extent that we receive payments denominated in foreign currency rather than U.S. dollars, could adversely affect the results of our investments in foreign companies;
•the effect of changes in tax laws and regulations and interpretations thereof; and
•the risks, uncertainties and other factors we identify under “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere in this Report.
The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with “Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements.” Although we believe that the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions also could be inaccurate. In light of these and other uncertainties, the inclusion of a projection or forward-looking statement in this Report should not be regarded as a representation by us that our plans and objectives will be achieved. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those set forth in “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the "Form 10-K") and Part II, Item 1A of and elsewhere in this Report. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this Report. Moreover, we assume no duty and do not undertake to update the forward-looking statements. You are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we make directly to you or through reports that we have filed or in the future file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.
You should understand that under Section 27A(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 do not apply to forward-looking statements made in periodic reports we file under the Exchange Act.