RPM vs. RS: RPM vs. Reliance Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do RPM (RPM) 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

RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS) both fall under the Materials industry group, but RPM is classified in Chemicals while RS is classified in Metals & Mining.

Company profile comparison for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Profile Item	RPM	RS
Name	RPM International Inc.	Reliance, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Steel
Market Capitalization	13.18 billion USD	21.24 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	September 16, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RPM

GSPC

RPM (RPM) 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 RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
Total Return (1Y)	1.43%	54.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	5.53%	18.36%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	5.33%	22.28%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RPM

GSPC

RPM (RPM) 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 RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	31.14%	25.64%
Beta (5Y)	1.00	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.97%	-22.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.29M	311.43K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RPM 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 RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.09	1.96
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.15	2.92

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

RPM (RPM) at 21.15% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Reliance (RS) at 14.75% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for RPM.

RPM

Materials industry group

21.15%

Max: 52.88%
RPM: 21.15%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both RPM (RPM) at 8.66% 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.

RPM

Materials industry group

8.66%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
RPM: 8.66%
Median: 5.28%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both RPM (RPM) at 16.20% and Reliance (RS) at 10.63% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

RPM

Materials industry group

16.20%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
RPM: 16.20%
Median: 12.56%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
ROE (TTM)	21.15%	14.75%
ROA (TTM)	7.88%	8.83%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.66%	6.38%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.20%	10.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	41.17%	28.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both RPM (RPM) at 6.66% and Reliance (RS) at 3.32% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both RPM (RPM) at -3.36% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.66%	3.32%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.71%	-5.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.36%	-10.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.60%	-22.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

RPM (RPM) at 1.76 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.

RPM

Materials industry group

1.76

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
RPM: 1.76
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both RPM (RPM) at 0.79 and Reliance (RS) at 0.25 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RPM

Materials industry group

0.79

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
RPM: 0.79
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

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	4.12
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.79	0.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.97	0.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

RPM (RPM) at 2.05% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Reliance (RS) at 1.20% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, RPM the richer one.

RPM

Materials industry group

2.05%

Max: 4.52%
RPM: 2.05%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both RPM (RPM) at 39.93% and Reliance (RS) at 23.08% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

RPM

Materials industry group

39.93%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
RPM: 39.93%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.05%	1.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.93%	23.08%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both RPM (RPM) at 19.10 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.

RPM

Materials industry group

19.10

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
RPM: 19.10
Median: 18.82
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both RPM (RPM) at 1.65 and Reliance (RS) at 1.22 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

RPM

Materials industry group

1.65

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
RPM: 1.65
Q1: 0.73
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Reliance (RS) at 2.75 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while RPM (RPM) at 3.79 carries an above-peer premium to book — RPM is pricier on assets.

RPM

Materials industry group

3.79

Max: 6.59
RPM: 3.79
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for RPM (RPM) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	RPM	RS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	19.10	19.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.65	1.22
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.79	2.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.20%	1.19%