Van ECK Associates Corp Has $82.63 Million Position in Leonardo DRS, Inc. $DRS

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Leonardo DRS by 9.3% to 1,820,059 shares, a position valued at about $82.63 million (≈0.68% of the company) per its latest 13F filing.
• Leonardo DRS beat quarterly estimates, reporting $0.42 EPS versus $0.37 expected and $1.06B in revenue versus $994.8M expected, and set FY2026 guidance of 1.200–1.260 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.09 (annualized yield ~0.8%) payable March 24, while insiders sold about 23,888 shares in the quarter totaling roughly $979,877.

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ:DRS - Free Report) by 9.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,820,059 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 154,792 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.68% of Leonardo DRS worth $82,631,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DRS. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Leonardo DRS by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 154,700 shares of the company's stock worth $7,023,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Leonardo DRS by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 303,528 shares of the company's stock worth $13,780,000 after buying an additional 34,156 shares during the last quarter. PFG Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Leonardo DRS in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,484,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Leonardo DRS in the third quarter valued at approximately $933,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Leonardo DRS by 116.8% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,661,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $166,219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,972,596 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.76% of the company's stock.

Leonardo DRS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:DRS opened at $46.35 on Wednesday. Leonardo DRS, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.17 and a 52 week high of $49.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company's fifty day moving average is $40.84 and its 200 day moving average is $39.25. The stock has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a PE ratio of 45.00, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.41.

Leonardo DRS (NASDAQ:DRS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $994.79 million. Leonardo DRS had a net margin of 7.62% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The company's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. Leonardo DRS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.260 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Leonardo DRS, Inc. will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leonardo DRS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Leonardo DRS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.95%.

Insider Transactions at Leonardo DRS

In other news, EVP Sally Wallace sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total value of $45,721.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 58,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,275.01. This represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael Dippold sold 10,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total value of $391,756.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 42,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,589,224. This trade represents a 19.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 23,888 shares of company stock valued at $979,877 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on DRS shares. Weiss Ratings cut Leonardo DRS from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Truist Financial set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Leonardo DRS in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Leonardo DRS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $47.00 price target on shares of Leonardo DRS in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.33.

About Leonardo DRS

Leonardo DRS is a U.S.-based defense technology company and wholly owned subsidiary of Italy's Leonardo S.p.A. The firm specializes in developing and integrating mission-critical systems for military and government customers, with a primary focus on command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR). Its core offerings encompass advanced sensors, targeting systems, radars and electronic warfare solutions designed to enhance situational awareness and operational effectiveness across land, sea and air domains.

The company's portfolio includes naval combat management systems, unmanned vehicle sensors, power generation and distribution equipment, and training and simulation solutions.

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