Reliance (NYSE:RS) Stock Bumped Up to Strong-Buy by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Reliance (NYSE:RS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on RS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Reliance from $398.00 to $391.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Reliance in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Reliance in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Reliance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Reliance from $390.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $379.83.

Reliance Stock Up 1.8%

RS opened at $400.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $400.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $374.21. The company has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.95. Reliance has a 1 year low of $260.31 and a 1 year high of $433.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a current ratio of 4.30.

Reliance (NYSE:RS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.47 by $0.80. Reliance had a net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.43 earnings per share. Reliance’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Reliance has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.400-6.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Reliance will post 23.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Reliance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Reliance’s payout ratio is 29.07%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Arthur Ajemyan sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.11, for a total transaction of $902,242.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,640 shares in the company, valued at $6,004,010.40. This trade represents a 13.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP William A. Smith II sold 2,353 shares of Reliance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $414.21, for a total value of $974,636.13. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,033,188.74. The trade was a 10.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RS. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Reliance by 1.7% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Reliance by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,614 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Reliance by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,209,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in Reliance by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 824 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Reliance by 27.6% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Reliance

Here are the key news stories impacting Reliance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Wall Street Zen raised Reliance, Inc. to a “Strong Buy” rating, providing a favorable near-term sentiment catalyst. Reliance Stock Rating Raised to Strong-Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Potential earnings beat: Zacks highlighted RS’s history of exceeding earnings expectations and said its current metrics point to a possible beat in the next quarterly report. The company most recently reported adjusted EPS of $6.27, above the $5.47 consensus, while revenue rose 26.5% year over year to $4.63 billion. Reliance Earnings Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance remains solid: Reliance, Inc. guided to third-quarter 2026 EPS of $6.40–$6.60, above its latest quarterly result and supportive of continued earnings momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Important name distinction: Reports about a planned nuclear project in West Bengal and a proposed ₹1 trillion biogas investment in Andhra Pradesh concern Indian Reliance-related businesses, not U.S.-listed Reliance, Inc. (RS). They therefore have no direct impact on RS’s operations or financial statements. Reliance Nuclear Project
• Neutral Sentiment: CBI chargesheets involving Reliance Communications and Reliance Home Finance relate to separate Indian entities and are not allegations against Reliance, Inc. (RS). They may nevertheless create headline confusion for investors searching for “Reliance” news. CBI Reliance Communications Case

Reliance Company Profile

Reliance, operating as Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co (NYSE: RS), is a diversified metals service center company. It distributes a broad range of metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, titanium and specialty steel products, serving manufacturers, fabricators, construction companies and other industrial customers.

The company provides value-added services designed to prepare metals for customer use. These services include cutting, leveling, slitting, sawing, machining, forming, coating, welding and other fabrication processes.