Reliance (NYSE:RS) Lowered to “Neutral” Rating by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Reliance (NYSE:RS) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has $330.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock, down from their previous price target of $340.00.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Reliance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Reliance in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Reliance from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $340.00 to $320.00 in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Reliance in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Reliance from $284.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.00.

Reliance Price Performance

Shares of RS stock opened at $318.89 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $317.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.03. The company has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 4.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Reliance has a twelve month low of $250.07 and a twelve month high of $365.59.

Reliance (NYSE:RS) last issued its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.45 billion. Reliance had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 5.17%.The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. Reliance has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Reliance will post 16.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Reliance Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Reliance’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Reliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.79%.

Insider Transactions at Reliance

In other news, CEO Karla R. Lewis sold 5,809 shares of Reliance stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 84,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,933,353.50. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Stephen Paul Koch sold 3,066 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 14,021 shares in the company, valued at $3,975,794.76. This represents a 17.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Reliance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Reliance by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,715,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $784,503,000 after acquiring an additional 118,009 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in Reliance by 27.5% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,247,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $631,224,000 after purchasing an additional 484,286 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Reliance by 25.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,708,756 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $479,870,000 after purchasing an additional 343,598 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Reliance by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,142,551 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $320,863,000 after purchasing an additional 51,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Reliance by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 938,601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $270,349,000 after buying an additional 2,549 shares during the period. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.