Reliance (NYSE:RS) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Reliance (NYSE:RS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Reliance from $340.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Reliance from $284.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Reliance in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Reliance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Reliance from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Reliance presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $317.25.

Reliance Price Performance

NYSE RS opened at $299.96 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 4.43. The business’s fifty day moving average is $283.16 and its 200 day moving average is $291.60. The company has a market capitalization of $15.68 billion, a PE ratio of 21.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.92. Reliance has a fifty-two week low of $250.07 and a fifty-two week high of $347.43.

Reliance (NYSE:RS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.68 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. Reliance had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 5.23%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. Reliance has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.650-2.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Reliance will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Reliance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Reliance by 6.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 15,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,364,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Reliance by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 84,708 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $24,459,000 after acquiring an additional 2,906 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Reliance in the first quarter valued at $1,355,000. Ascent Group LLC boosted its stake in Reliance by 11.9% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Reliance by 4.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Reliance News

Here are the key news stories impacting Reliance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish catalysts lifted shares into a rally — investor optimism around a forthcoming Jio IPO and reports of new oil sourcing (Venezuelan prospects) helped push the stock to multi-session record highs, supporting price gains and momentum among growth-focused traders. Record rally in Mukesh Ambani’s RIL
• Positive Sentiment: The stock recently crossed above its 200-day moving average — a commonly watched technical breakout that can attract trend-following buyers and supports a near-term bullish technical narrative (50-day is also below current price). Reliance (NYSE:RS) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic repositioning into consumer packaged goods: coverage highlights Reliance turning nostalgic brands into a modern FMCG platform — diversification that could support longer-term revenue and margin upside beyond core energy/telecom businesses. Investors focused on growth and de-risking may view this favorably. How Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Is Turning Nostalgia Brands
• Neutral Sentiment: Company statements deny a direct link between the share-price fall and reports about Russian oil purchases. Denials may temper panic selling but leave uncertainty until third-party confirmation emerges, so the net market impact is ambiguous. Reliance denies link between share price fall and Russian Oil purchase
• Negative Sentiment: Acute selloff after a Bloomberg report alleging Russian oil purchases triggered a ~4–5% intraday drop in shares, eroding significant market value and prompting heavy volume — this headline-driven risk is the principal immediate cause of the stock’s decline and elevated volatility. Reliance calls Bloomberg’s Russian oil claim ‘blatantly untrue’
• Negative Sentiment: Market-cap hit: reports quantify the loss (roughly Rs 1 lakh crore in investor value in India-focused coverage) which underscores the scale of selling and may pressure sentiment until clarity returns. RIL shares take a big knock, mcap erodes by Rs 94,389 crore

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.