Reliance (NYSE:RS) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Reliance (NYSE:RS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Reliance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Reliance from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $340.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lowered Reliance from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $340.00 to $320.00 in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Reliance from $287.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Reliance in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Reliance has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $323.00.

Reliance Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE RS opened at $318.89 on Friday. Reliance has a fifty-two week low of $250.07 and a fifty-two week high of $365.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 4.88. The company has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $317.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.08.

Reliance (NYSE:RS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.80 by ($0.40). Reliance had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The business had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.45 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Reliance has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Reliance will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Reliance Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Reliance’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Reliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Reliance

In related news, COO Stephen Paul Koch sold 3,066 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.56, for a total transaction of $869,394.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 14,021 shares in the company, valued at $3,975,794.76. This represents a 17.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Karla R. Lewis sold 5,809 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.50, for a total value of $1,646,851.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 84,421 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,933,353.50. The trade was a 6.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Reliance

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RS. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Reliance by 417.6% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 88 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Reliance during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Reliance by 86.2% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Greenline Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Reliance in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Reliance in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 79.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Reliance

Here are the key news stories impacting Reliance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised quarterly dividend to $1.25 (up from $1.20), boosting yield and income appeal for dividend-focused investors; ex-dividend on March 6.
• Positive Sentiment: Management set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50–$4.70, signaling continued demand and providing a near-term earnings floor that could support the stock. Zacks: RS Q4 Earnings Miss
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $315 and kept an “equal weight” rating — a technical boost to target consensus but not a bullish endorsement; their PT sits near the current price. Benzinga: Wells Fargo Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent media published the company’s Q4 earnings call transcript and analyst write-ups (Seeking Alpha, Yahoo/finance) — useful for investors digging into details but not immediate price catalysts by themselves. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Call Transcript Yahoo Finance: Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Press reports statewide that “Reliance” (major Indian group) plans a massive Rs 10 lakh crore AI investment; relevance to NYSE:RS (U.S. industrial products Reliance) is uncertain — likely limited direct near-term impact. BestMediaInfo: AI Investment
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed consensus ($2.40 vs. $2.80 expected) despite ~12% revenue growth; the earnings shortfall is the primary near-term pressure on the stock. Zacks: RS Misses Q4
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan downgraded the stock from “overweight” to “neutral” and trimmed its target to $330 — a formal sell-side cooling that can reduce buy-side conviction and liquidity. Benzinga: JPMorgan Downgrade Finviz: Coverage Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Small third-party supplier/order headlines (e.g., Artson securing an order from “Reliance”) are reported but likely relate to the large Indian conglomerate and have unclear impact on NYSE:RS. Business Standard: Artson Order

Reliance Company Profile

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co (NYSE: RS) is a leading metals service center company that distributes and processes a broad array of metal products. The company offers cut-to-length, shearing, blanking, sawing, bending, machining and value-added services for carbon and alloy steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, titanium and specialty metal alloys. Its products serve diverse end markets, including energy, infrastructure, general manufacturing, transportation, aerospace and defense.

Founded in 1939 in Los Angeles, Reliance Steel & Aluminum has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.