PKX vs. RS: POSCO vs. Reliance Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS) are both classified in the Steel sub-industry within the broader Metals & Mining industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Reliance (RS) trades as ordinary local shares, while POSCO (PKX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Profile Item	PKX	RS
Name	POSCO Holdings Inc. American Depositary Receipt	Reliance, Inc.
Country/Region	South Korea	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Steel	Steel
Market Capitalization	14.79 billion USD	21.24 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	October 14, 1994	September 16, 1994
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PKX

GSPC

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
Total Return (1Y)	-4.84%	54.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-15.65%	18.36%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.81%	22.28%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PKX

GSPC

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	46.00%	25.64%
Beta (5Y)	1.71	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-68.71%	-22.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	216.95K	311.43K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PKX and RS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.20	1.96
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.30	2.92

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both POSCO (PKX) at 2.21% and Reliance (RS) at 14.75% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

PKX

Materials industry group

2.21%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
PKX: 2.21%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

RS

Materials industry group

14.75%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
RS: 14.75%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both POSCO (PKX) at 1.89% and Reliance (RS) at 6.38% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

PKX

Materials industry group

1.89%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
PKX: 1.89%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

RS

Materials industry group

6.38%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
RS: 6.38%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both POSCO (PKX) at 4.26% and Reliance (RS) at 10.63% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

PKX

Materials industry group

4.26%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
PKX: 4.26%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

RS

Materials industry group

10.63%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
RS: 10.63%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
ROE (TTM)	2.21%	14.75%
ROA (TTM)	1.31%	8.83%
Net Margin (TTM)	1.89%	6.38%
Operating Margin (TTM)	4.26%	10.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	7.87%	28.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Reliance (RS) at 3.32% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while POSCO (PKX) at -6.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both POSCO (PKX) at -29.00% and Reliance (RS) at -10.15% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.09%	3.32%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-6.72%	-5.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-29.00%	-10.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-39.42%	-22.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) at 1.98 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Reliance (RS) at 4.12 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

PKX

Materials industry group

1.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
PKX: 1.98
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

RS

Materials industry group

4.12

Max: 5.96
RS: 4.12
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both POSCO (PKX) at 0.50 and Reliance (RS) at 0.25 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PKX

Materials industry group

0.50

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
PKX: 0.50
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

RS

Materials industry group

0.25

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
RS: 0.25
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.98	4.12
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.50	0.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.81	0.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Reliance (RS) at 1.20% pays an industry-typical yield; POSCO (PKX) at 18,518.52% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

PKX

Materials industry group

18,518.52%

PKX: 18,518.52%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RS

Materials industry group

1.20%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
RS: 1.20%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Reliance (RS) at 23.08% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while POSCO (PKX) at 51.60% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

PKX

Materials industry group

51.60%

Max: 83.62%
PKX: 51.60%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RS

Materials industry group

23.08%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
RS: 23.08%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	18,518.52%	1.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	51.60%	23.08%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both POSCO (PKX) at 15.57 and Reliance (RS) at 19.44 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

PKX

Materials industry group

15.57

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
PKX: 15.57
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

RS

Materials industry group

19.44

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
RS: 19.44
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) at 0.00 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Reliance (RS) at 1.22 prices around its industry’s middle — PKX costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

PKX

Materials industry group

0.00

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
PKX: 0.00
Min: 0.00

RS

Materials industry group

1.22

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
RS: 1.22
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both POSCO (PKX) at 1.36 and Reliance (RS) at 2.75 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

PKX

Materials industry group

1.36

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
PKX: 1.36
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

RS

Materials industry group

2.75

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
RS: 2.75
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

POSCO (PKX) vs. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for POSCO (PKX) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	PKX	RS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.57	19.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.00	1.22
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	2.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-23,410.34%	1.19%