Reliance (NYSE:RS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Reliance (NYSE:RS) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on RS. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Reliance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Reliance from $287.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Reliance in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Reliance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Reliance from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $340.00 to $320.00 in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.00.

Reliance Trading Down 2.6%

RS opened at $318.89 on Friday. Reliance has a one year low of $250.07 and a one year high of $365.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 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 $295.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 4.88.

Reliance (NYSE:RS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.80 by ($0.40). Reliance had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.45 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Reliance’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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Reliance will post 16.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Reliance

In other news, CEO Karla R. Lewis sold 5,809 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Stephen Paul Koch sold 3,066 shares of Reliance stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.56, for a total value of $869,394.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 14,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,975,794.76. This trade represents a 17.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Reliance

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Reliance by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 192,307 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,552,000 after buying an additional 14,135 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Reliance by 1,018.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 341,827 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $98,744,000 after acquiring an additional 311,276 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC lifted its stake in Reliance by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC now owns 8,987 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,596,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in Reliance by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Reliance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

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.