Reliance (NYSE:RS) Cut to “Neutral” at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Reliance from $284.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Reliance from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $340.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Reliance in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Reliance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Reliance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Reliance currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.00.

Reliance Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of Reliance stock opened at $318.89 on Friday. Reliance has a 52-week low of $250.07 and a 52-week high of $365.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $317.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.15. The company has a quick ratio of 2.30, a current ratio of 4.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92.

Reliance (NYSE:RS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.45 billion. Reliance had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 5.17%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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 predict that Reliance will post 16.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Reliance Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Reliance

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Reliance

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of RS. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Reliance by 417.6% during the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 88 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Reliance in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in Reliance by 86.2% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Greenline Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Reliance during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Reliance during the third quarter worth $32,000. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Reliance News

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.