Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) will announce its first-quarter (Q1 FY27) earnings on Friday, with investors keenly watching whether the Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate can reverse a period of slowing market performance.
While Reliance remains a strong leader across telecom, retail and energy, the company's stock has struggled to deliver the high returns that investors had become accustomed to over the past five years.
Comparing performances: RIL vs Sensex
A comparison of Reliance Industries' stock performance with the market over the past five years might be able to explain the investor apprehension.
Five years ago, in July 2021, Reliance Industries shares were trading at around ₹1056 and as of July 17, 2026, the stock is trading at around ₹1,325, representing a gain of nearly 25 per cent over five years. However, the stock has significantly underperformed in the last year, reflecting weakening investor sentiment despite the company's strong market position.
The underperformance is clearer when compared with the benchmark BSE Sensex. In July 2021, the Sensex was hovering around 52,000-53,000. Today, it trades near 78,000, delivering a gain of approximately 47-48 per cent over the same period.
This means Reliance has lagged the market by nearly 22-23 percentage points over the last five years. For a company that has often been the biggest contributor to the market gains, this marks a notable shift.
Rising competition in telecom, slower consumer spending affecting retail, volatile crude oil prices and pressure on refining margins have all weighed on investor sentiment as well.
Ahead of the company's Q1 earnings announcement, shares of Reliance Industries Ltd hiked nearly 3 per cent, adding Rs 45,334 crore to its market valuation.
The blue-chip stock edged higher by 2.59 per cent to settle at ₹1,326.50 on the BSE. During the day, it surged 2.85 per cent to ₹1,329.95. On the NSE, the stock climbed 2.36 per cent to end at ₹1,327.20. The company's market valuation surged ₹45,334.01 crore to ₹17,95,091.26 crore.
Meanwhile, the promoter group of Reliance Industries increased its shareholding by nearly 0.5 percentage points during the June quarter through market purchases.
Today's Q1 FY27 results are therefore being closely watched with a hope for stronger profitability led by the conglomerate.
