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Reliance's Earnings Miss, Revenues Beat Estimates in Q2

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Key Takeaways

  • RS reported Q2 EPS of $4.43, missing estimates, while revenues rose 0.5% to beat projections.
  • A 3.2% drop in average selling price offset shipment gains, pressuring Q2 profitability for RS.
  • RS expects Q3 tons sold to drop 1% to 3% from Q2 but remain 3% to 5% higher than prior-year levels.

Reliance, Inc. (RS - Free Report) posted profits of $233.7 million or $4.42 per share for the second quarter of 2024, down from $267.8 million or $4.67 per share in the year-ago quarter.

Barring one-time items, the company recorded earnings of $4.43 per share. It lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.72.

The company recorded net sales of $3,659.8 million, up around 0.5% year over year. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,631.1 million.

Reliance, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Reliance, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Reliance, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Reliance, Inc. Quote

Reliance’s Volumes and Pricing

Reliance reported a 3.9% year-over-year increase in shipments (thousand tons sold) to 1,615. The figure missed our estimate of 1,621.5. The average selling price per ton fell 3.2% year over year to $2,273. It beat our estimate of $2,171.5.

Demand for non-residential construction, including infrastructure, which is Reliance’s largest end market by volume, improved from the second quarter of 2024. The company expects this demand to stay strong in the third quarter of 2025, driven by ongoing construction activity in various areas such as data centers, energy infrastructure, manufacturing and public works. 

Aerospace demand remained steady compared to the second quarter of 2024. However, Reliance expects slightly lower demand in the commercial aerospace market during the third quarter of 2025, primarily due to surplus inventory in the supply chain. In contrast, demand in the military and space-related segments of the aerospace business is projected to stay strong and consistent.

Demand for Reliance’s toll processing services in the automotive sector also remained stable sequentially. The company expects this stability to continue into the third quarter of 2025, although uncertainty around North American trade policies could adversely impact the outlook. Reliance’s toll processing operations are designed to remain agile and responsive to market shifts.

In the semiconductor sector, demand continued to lag behind second-quarter 2024 levels. The company foresees ongoing weakness in this market through the third quarter of 2025, driven by persistent inventory surpluses within the supply chain.

RS’ Financial Position

As of June 30, 2025, Reliance held $239.5 million in cash and cash equivalents, with total outstanding debt amounting to $1.43 billion. This includes $282 million borrowings under the company’s $1.5 billion revolving credit facility.

In the second quarter of 2025, Reliance generated $229 million in operating cash flow, which factored in a typical seasonal working capital investment. The company consistently produces strong cash flow across various market conditions, which it strategically reinvests through its opportunistic capital allocation initiatives.

Reliance’s Outlook

Reliance expects overall demand to remain steady in the third quarter of 2025 across its diverse end markets, factoring in typical seasonal trends. These include a decline in shipping volumes due to planned customer shutdowns and vacation schedules, along with ongoing uncertainty surrounding both domestic and global trade policies. As a result, the company projects that tons sold will decrease 1% to 3% from the second quarter of 2025, but will be 3% to 5% higher than in the third quarter of 2024.

Reliance also anticipates its average selling price per ton in the third quarter will range from a 1% decline to a 1% increase from the previous quarter. This outlook is largely influenced by lower pricing for carbon steel products, partially offset by rising prices for select aluminum and stainless steel products. As a result, the company’s FIFO gross profit margin is expected to have faced continued pressure during the quarter.

Based on these projections, Reliance forecasts adjusted earnings per share to be between $3.60 and $3.80 for the third quarter of 2025, which includes an estimated LIFO expense of $25 million, or 36 cents per share.

RS’ Price Performance

Reliance’s shares have rallied 17% in the past year compared with a 12.2% rise in the industry.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

RS’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

RS currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks worth a look in the basic materials space include Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD - Free Report) , Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC - Free Report) and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM - Free Report) .

Royal Gold is slated to report second-quarter results on Aug 6. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.70. RGLD beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 9%. RGLD carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Kinross is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 27 cents. KGC beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 16.1%. KGC currently carries a Zacks Rank #1.

Agnico Eagle is slated to report second-quarter results on July 30. The consensus estimate for AEM’s earnings is pegged at $1.66. AEM, carrying a Zacks Rank #1, beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 12.3%. 

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