-- CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:
RS reported Q1 2026 adj. EPS of $5.16 vs. $4.66 consensus, exceeding guidance, with net sales of $4.03B beating consensus by $118M on record tons sold of 1.67M (+9.4% Q/Q, +2.7% Y/Y). Gross margin recovered to 29.1% (+180 bps Q/Q), moving within the company's 29%-31% target range as LIFO headwinds moderated. RS outperformed industry shipments by ~8%-pts, marking the 13th consecutive of outpacing industry growth, with broad-based performance across carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel categories. Management guided for Q2 2026 adj. EPS of $5.15-$5.35, reflecting confidence in sustained pricing momentum across key end markets. RS secured $2.9B in government contracts, including a $2.24B border wall contract and a $654M Joint Strike Fighter renewal. We believe the aluminum recovery is particularly meaningful given 2025's tariff-related compression, and disciplined capital allocation with $301M returned to shareholders demonstrates balance sheet strength at 1.0x net debt-to-EBITDA.