RS RELIANCE, INC.

NYSE Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & of fices DE CIK: 0000861884
AI RATING
SELL
72% Confidence

Investment Thesis

While Reliance maintains fortress-like liquidity and conservative leverage, fundamental operational deterioration signals value destruction. Net income growth of 0% despite 3.3% revenue growth indicates margin compression, and EPS declined 10.2% YoY from share dilution. Most critically, ROE of 3.7% and ROA of 2.5% demonstrate the company is failing to generate adequate returns on its capital base, a structural concern in a cyclical commodity-dependent industry.

Strengths

  • + Exceptional liquidity position (current ratio 4.39x, quick ratio 2.24x) provides significant downside protection
  • + Conservative capital structure with low leverage (debt/equity 0.24x) and fortress interest coverage (37.9x)
  • + Positive free cash flow generation ($87.2M) and low financial stress indicators

Risks

  • ! Net income flat YoY despite revenue growth indicates margin compression and operational headwinds in competitive metals market
  • ! Diluted EPS declined 10.2% YoY signaling shareholder value destruction through dilution despite flat earnings
  • ! Critically low returns on capital (ROE 3.7%, ROA 2.5%) indicate poor asset deployment efficiency and inadequate shareholder value generation
  • ! Cyclical commodity exposure in metals sector with modest organic growth (3.3%) limits upside optionality

Key Metrics to Watch

Financial Metrics

Revenue
4.0B
Net Income
264.9M
EPS (Diluted)
$5.10
Free Cash Flow
87.2M
Total Assets
10.8B
Cash
249.7M

Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin 17.5%
Operating Margin 9.1%
Net Margin 6.6%
ROE 3.7%
ROA 2.5%
FCF Margin 2.2%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
4.39x
Quick Ratio
2.24x
Debt/Equity
0.24x
Debt/Assets
34.0%
Interest Coverage
37.93x
Long-term Debt
1.7B
Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: 2026-05-06T11:28:01.546148 | Data as of: 2026-03-31 | Powered by Claude AI