If you’ve been watching the ticker lately, you know things have been a bit of a roller coaster for RPM International Inc. Just today, January 14, 2026, the RPM stock price today is hovering around $111.72. It’s up slightly—about 0.18%—which doesn’t sound like much until you look at the absolute chaos of the last week.
Last Thursday, the wheels kinda came off for a second. The company dropped its Q2 2026 earnings, and honestly, the numbers were a mess of "good news, bad news." They hit record sales of $1.91 billion, but investors immediately zeroed in on the miss. They reported an adjusted EPS of $1.20, falling way short of the $1.44 the street was looking for.
Markets hate uncertainty. And boy, did Frank Sullivan, the CEO, give them plenty to chew on. He blamed a "prolonged government shutdown" for messing up construction lead times.
What’s Actually Driving the RPM Stock Price Today?
Investors are currently playing a game of "wait and see." While the stock is trading near $111.72, it’s still significantly off its 52-week high of $129.12. You've got to wonder if the bottom is in or if we're just resting before another slide.
The Earnings Hangover
The January 8 report was a wake-up call. While sales grew 3.5%, the "adjusted" side of the ledger showed an 11% drop in EBIT. Basically, RPM is selling more stuff, but it’s costing them a lot more to make and move it.
- Plant Consolidations: They are shutting down and merging facilities to save money long-term, but right now, it’s just causing "temporary inefficiencies."
- The MAP 2025 Plan: This is their big "efficiency" program. It’s supposed to save hundreds of millions, but the market is starting to ask: When?
- Inventory Issues: They’re dealing with lower fixed-cost absorption because volumes are down in certain segments like consumer DIY.
Analyst Tug-of-War
It’s funny how two experts can look at the same $111 price tag and see totally different things. J.P. Morgan actually upgraded the stock to a "Buy" on January 9 with a $115 target. Meanwhile, BMO Capital is still screaming from the rooftops with a $149 target.
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Who do you trust?
Deutsche Bank's David Begleiter recently trimmed his target from $138 to $126. It’s a classic move—keep the "Buy" rating so you don't look like a bear, but lower the bar so it's easier to jump over.
The "Invisible" Headwinds Nobody Mentions
Most people just look at the chart and see red or green. But if you dig into the 10-Q, you see the real drama.
North American sales were basically flat, up only 1.9%. The only reason the total sales number looked good was because Europe went on a tear, growing nearly 14%. But that was mostly due to acquisitions and favorable exchange rates, not necessarily because people are suddenly obsessed with painting their houses in London or Paris.
And then there's the debt.
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Total debt jumped to $2.52 billion compared to about $2.03 billion a year ago. They’re using credit to buy up smaller companies, which is fine when interest rates are low, but it makes the balance sheet look a bit heavy when the economy is "sluggish," as Sullivan put it.
Is the Dividend Safe?
For many, the only reason to hold RPM is the dividend. They’ve increased it for 51 consecutive years. That’s legendary.
The next ex-dividend date is January 16, 2026. If you want that $0.54 per share payment on January 30, you’ve gotta be in by Friday. With a yield of roughly 1.95%, it’s a decent "get paid to wait" play, but it won’t make you rich overnight.
Why the $126 Target Matters
Many valuation models, including the popular DCF (Discounted Cash Flow) calculations floating around, suggest the "intrinsic" value of RPM is actually closer to $150.
If that’s true, the RPM stock price today represents a nearly 26% discount. But that's a big "if." It assumes the MAP 2025 savings actually hit the bottom line and that the construction market doesn't completely freeze up in the spring.
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A Quick Look at the Competitors
RPM doesn't exist in a vacuum. You’ve got to see what the neighbors are doing:
- Sherwin-Williams (SHW): Trading around $355, much more expensive on a P/E basis.
- PPG Industries (PPG): Hovering near $107, facing similar industrial headwinds.
- AptarGroup (ATR): Showing more volatility lately.
RPM’s P/E ratio of 21.4x is almost exactly the industry average. It’s not "cheap" in the traditional sense; it’s just "fairly priced" if you believe the growth is coming back.
Actionable Insights for Your Portfolio
If you are looking at RPM right now, don't just stare at the $111 price point. Consider these specific moves:
- Watch the Ex-Date: If you’re a dividend chaser, January 16 is your deadline. Just remember that stocks often dip by the dividend amount on the ex-date.
- Monitor the $100 Floor: The 52-week low is $95.28. If it breaks $105, it might test that low again. That would be a much better entry point than buying the "relief rally" today.
- The $100 Million Savings: Keep an eye on the April 2026 report. They’ve promised $100 million in annual savings from their new SG&A cuts. If they miss that target, the stock will likely get punished.
- Institutional Sentiment: 340 institutions added shares last quarter, while 311 decreased. It's a wash. When the "big money" starts moving in one clear direction, that's your signal.
Honestly, RPM feels like a classic "boring" stock that’s going through a mid-life crisis. It wants to be a growth company with all these acquisitions, but its core DIY and construction markets are acting like a lead weight.
Buying today is a bet on the management's ability to cut costs faster than the economy can slow down. It's a risky bet, but with a 51-year dividend streak, they've earned a little bit of trust. Just don't expect a moonshot.
Keep an eye on the infrastructure projects in the Middle East and Africa; that’s where the surprise growth is actually hiding. If those projects stall, $111 might look expensive very quickly. Conversely, if the US government stays open and construction lead times normalize, we could see a return to $120 by summer.