Stock Analysis

Reliance, Inc. (NYSE:RS) Just Released Its Third-Quarter Results And Analysts Are Updating Their Estimates

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NYSE:RS

Last week, you might have seen that Reliance, Inc. (NYSE:RS) released its quarterly result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 4.5% to US$284 in the past week. It was a credible result overall, with revenues of US$3.4b and statutory earnings per share of US$3.61 both in line with analyst estimates, showing that Reliance is executing in line with expectations. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Reliance

NYSE:RS Earnings and Revenue Growth October 27th 2024

Following last week's earnings report, Reliance's seven analysts are forecasting 2025 revenues to be US$14.0b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to decline 10% to US$17.31 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$14.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$18.11 in 2025. The analysts seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the minor downgrade to their earnings per share numbers for next year.

The consensus price target held steady at US$319, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. There are some variant perceptions on Reliance, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$340 and the most bearish at US$260 per share. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggeststhe analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 0.2% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 10% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 5.5% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Reliance is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Reliance. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for Reliance going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Plus, you should also learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Reliance .

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.