Exploring RPM International Inc. (RPM) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at RPM International Inc. and wondering why this specialty coatings giant seems to be such a steady performer, right? When a company reports record fiscal 2025 sales of $7.37 billion and a diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $5.35, you defintely need to know whose conviction is fueling that valuation. Here's the quick math: institutional investors-the mutual funds, pension funds, and major asset managers like BlackRock, Inc. and Vanguard Group Inc.-hold a massive stake, with ownership percentages sitting between 80.95% and 85%. That concentration means the stock's movement is highly sensitive to a small group of very large players. So, what are these 'big guns' seeing in RPM's strategy, like the margin expansion from their MAP 2025 initiatives, that justifies such a high level of accumulation, and how should your own portfolio react to a stock so heavily influenced by the institutional herd?

Who Invests in RPM International Inc. (RPM) and Why?

You're looking at RPM International Inc. (RPM) and trying to figure out who's actually buying this specialty coatings and sealants company, and what their playbook is. The direct takeaway is this: RPM is overwhelmingly an institutional favorite, with over 83% of its shares held by big money, largely due to its predictable repair-and-maintenance revenue streams and the success of its operational turnaround plan, MAP 2025.

The investor base is a mix of passive index funds, long-term growth-at-a-reasonable-price (GARP) managers, and a small but influential retail contingent. This high institutional ownership-specifically 83.64% as of November 2025-means the stock price is highly sensitive to the trading actions of a few major players.

Key Investor Types and Their Stake

The share registry of RPM International Inc. is dominated by institutions, which include mutual funds, pension funds, and asset managers. Retail investors, or the general public, hold a smaller but still significant stake, around 14% of the ownership.

The largest holders are the behemoths of the asset management world, whose positions often reflect passive index-tracking strategies or broad market-cap-weighted funds. For instance, as of September 30, 2025, The Vanguard Group, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc. maintained the top two positions, holding over 13.6 million and 12.6 million shares, respectively.

Here's a quick look at the top-tier institutional presence:

• Passive/Index Funds: Massive funds like Vanguard and BlackRock hold shares to track major indices (like the S&P MidCap 400), making them long-term, sticky holders.
• Active Asset Managers: Firms like Aristotle Capital Management, LLC and State Street Corp, which actively manage portfolios, are betting on RPM's specific operational improvements.
• Hedge Funds: While not a dominant force, their smaller, more tactical positions often focus on short-term catalysts or macroeconomic shifts in the construction and industrial sectors.

Investment Motivations: Why the Big Money Buys

The motivation for buying RPM International Inc. boils down to two things: financial resilience and a consistent return of capital. The company's fiscal 2025 results provided a clear, concrete reason for continued institutional confidence.

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, RPM reported record sales of $7.37 billion and a record diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $5.35. This performance, coupled with a strong adjusted Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) margin of 13.2%, signals that the company's strategic initiatives are truly working.

• Growth Prospects: The Construction Products Group (CPG) saw strong demand for turnkey roofing and high-performance building solutions, driving organic growth even as some DIY markets softened.
• Dividend Stability: RPM has an outstanding track record as a dividend payer, appealing strongly to income-focused funds and retirees. In fiscal 2025, the company returned $325.6 million to stockholders through cash dividends and share repurchases.
• Operational Efficiency: The multi-year MAP 2025 program, which focuses on manufacturing and distribution optimization, delivered a significant portion of the company's $550 million gain in fiscal 2025, boosting institutional confidence in management's execution.

If you want to understand the foundational strategy driving these results, you should look at the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of RPM International Inc. (RPM).

Investment Strategies in Play

The capital invested in RPM International Inc. can be segmented into a few distinct strategies, each with a different time horizon and risk tolerance. You see a clear split between passive, long-term holding and more active, targeted bets on the company's turnaround.

Long-Term Holding (Passive/Income):

This is the dominant strategy, exemplified by index funds and dividend-focused mutual funds. They view RPM as a stable, industrial mid-cap stock with a defensive moat-its products are essential for repair and maintenance, which holds up better than new construction during economic slowdowns. The dividend history makes it a core holding for income portfolios.

Growth and Operational Turnaround (Active):

This strategy is focused on the success of MAP 2025. Active managers and niche funds, such as Nuveen, LLC and Voya, have been increasing their stakes, betting on the continued expansion of the 13.2% adjusted EBIT margin.

Here's the quick math: The expectation is that the cost-saving benefits from plant consolidations and supply chain efficiency will continue to boost the bottom line, translating operational improvements into higher EPS growth than the modest revenue growth of 0.5% in fiscal 2025.

Value Investing/Sector Rotation (Tactical):

Some institutional activity reflects a value approach, buying when the stock dips due to temporary headwinds like the unfavorable weather that impacted third-quarter 2025 sales (a 3.0% decrease). Conversely, some funds, particularly those with a strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) mandate, have been reducing their exposure, suggesting a sector rotation away from industrial coatings, even if RPM's fundamentals are strong.

This table summarizes the core strategies and their primary focus:

You can see the long-term investors are defintely in the driver's seat here, using the company's stability as a ballast in their portfolios.

Next step: Review your own portfolio's RPM allocation to ensure your investment thesis aligns with the dominant institutional view of long-term operational improvement.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of RPM International Inc. (RPM)

If you're looking at RPM International Inc. (RPM), the first thing to understand is that institutional money drives the bus here. Institutions-think massive mutual funds, pension funds, and asset managers-own a colossal chunk of the company. Their buying and selling decisions have a direct, outsized impact on the stock's movement and the company's long-term strategy.

As of mid-2025, institutional ownership sits at a staggering 85% of the total shares outstanding. That's a huge concentration. This means RPM's stock price is defintely sensitive to the trading actions of these big players. The sheer volume of their collective holdings, totaling about 130,159,645 shares with a long-term value of roughly $14.445 billion as of November 2025, makes their sentiment a leading indicator for the market.

Top Institutional Investors: Who Holds the Keys?

The shareholder registry for RPM is dominated by the giants of the asset management world. These aren't just passive investors; they represent the core of the market's long-term bet on RPM's business model, which you can read more about in Breaking Down RPM International Inc. (RPM) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors. The top 12 shareholders alone control about 50% of the company, so you know they have a loud voice.

The largest institutional investors are the usual suspects, reflecting RPM's status as a resilient mid-cap industrial player. Here's a quick look at the major players and their influence:

• Vanguard Group Inc.: The largest shareholder, holding approximately 11% of shares outstanding.
• BlackRock, Inc.: A major holder, maintaining a significant stake that signals long-term confidence.
• Aristotle Capital Management, LLC: A key active manager with a substantial position.
• State Street Corp: Another passive index giant with a significant ownership percentage.

This group's stability is a strong signal. When the world's largest asset managers like Vanguard and BlackRock maintain major stakes, despite any minor portfolio rebalancing, it suggests they view RPM as a solid, long-term holding.

Recent Shifts: Are Institutions Buying or Selling?

The institutional activity in 2025 shows a nuanced picture, which is common for a company executing a major operational improvement plan like RPM's MAP 2025 initiative. It's not a simple 'buy' or 'sell' signal across the board; it's a tension between different investment strategies.

The overall institutional base remains robust, but recent filings reveal a mix of accumulation and divestment:

• Accumulation: Niche funds like Nuveen, LLC and Townsquare Capital have been increasing their holdings, with one surging its stake by as much as 29.12% as of May 2025. This activity is a targeted bet on RPM's operational turnaround and the sustainability of its improved margins.
• Divestment: On the flip side, some index-linked or Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) funds have reduced their positions. For example, some funds cut their stakes by over 64%. This often reflects broader sector rotation or ESG reallocations rather than a fundamental rejection of RPM itself.

More recently, in November 2025 filings, we saw some institutions trimming their positions, with Ameriprise Financial Inc. decreasing shares by 7.2% and the Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reducing by 8.4%. This suggests a degree of profit-taking or portfolio de-risking as the stock's price has fluctuated.

The Institutional Investor Impact on Strategy and Price

Institutional investors are more than just share counters; they are powerful stakeholders who influence both the stock price and corporate strategy. Their confidence has been a direct result of RPM's strong fiscal 2025 performance.

The company reported a record $550 million gain in fiscal 2025, which was a huge catalyst. This operational success, driven by efficiencies from the MAP 2025 program, has resonated with institutions who prioritize sustainable earnings. Here's the quick math: the adjusted EBIT margin for FY2025 hit 13.2%, a significant improvement that validates the institutional confidence.

The stock price is extremely sensitive to their sentiment. When RPM beat Q4 2025 expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $1.72, the stock jumped 8.7% in pre-market trading. That kind of immediate, sharp move is a clear demonstration of institutional optimism about the strategic direction, especially the company's focus on operational excellence and achieving a 16% EBIT margin target in the next two to three years. They are betting on execution. The key takeaway is simple: institutional accumulation validates the company's strategic narrative.

Key Investors and Their Impact on RPM International Inc. (RPM)

If you're looking at RPM International Inc. (RPM), the first thing you need to understand is that this is an institutional favorite. The big money controls the narrative here, so their buying and selling moves the stock price, not the retail crowd.

As of the most recent filings in 2025, institutional investors-think massive mutual funds, pension funds, and endowments-own a staggering 80.35% to 85% of the company's shares outstanding. That's a huge concentration, and it means RPM's stock is highly sensitive to the trading actions of these large players. One clean one-liner: Institutional money sets the price floor.

The Big Three and Other Notable Holders

The investor profile for RPM International Inc. is dominated by the passive investment giants, often called the Big Three, which include The Vanguard Group and BlackRock Inc. Their positions are massive, and their influence is felt mostly through proxy voting on corporate governance issues, not usually through aggressive, activist demands.

Here's the quick math on the top institutional stakes, which represent a significant portion of the company's $15.82 billion market capitalization from the end of fiscal year 2025:

• The Vanguard Group, Inc.: Holds the largest stake with 13,635,430 shares, representing 10.63% of the company, valued at approximately $1.46 billion.
• BlackRock Inc.: A close second, holding 12,602,877 shares, or 9.83% ownership, valued at about $1.35 billion.
• Aristotle Capital Management, LLC: A key active manager with 8,104,789 shares, a 6.32% stake valued at $865.11 million.
• State Street Corp: Holds 6,478,559 shares, or 5.05% ownership, valued at $691.52 million.

To be fair, the sheer size of these index fund holdings means they are long-term, passive investors. They buy because RPM International Inc. is a component of the major indices (like the S&P MidCap 400), not because they are making a short-term tactical bet. Their main influence is on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, where they push for better standards across their entire portfolio.

Recent Investor Moves and the Activist Question

In the near-term, we've seen small but telling moves that reflect confidence in RPM's operational improvements. For example, in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, funds like GW&K Investment Management LLC and Dorsey Wright & Associates both increased their positions, showing a bullish view on the specialty chemicals company's trajectory.

Also, a very recent, small-scale move: U.S. Representative David Taylor (R-Ohio) disclosed a purchase of RPM International Inc. stock in November 2025, a minor but defintely notable insider-adjacent transaction in the $1,001 to $15,000 range. This kind of move signals a basic belief in the company's value proposition.

What this estimate hides is the almost complete absence of activist investor pressure. The reason is simple: performance. RPM International Inc.'s total shareholder return outperformed its peer group by approximately 20% from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2025, validating the management's long-running 'MAP 2025' operational improvement plan.

The lack of a meaningful hedge fund presence, as noted in the data, means management, led by Chairman and CEO Frank C. Sullivan (who is also the largest individual shareholder with 0.87% ownership), can focus on the long-term without having to fight off proxy battles or forced breakups. This stability is a key selling point for institutional money looking for reliable growth in the materials sector, especially given the company's strong fiscal 2025 annual revenue of $7.37 billion. You can read more about their strategy here: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of RPM International Inc. (RPM).

The Performance-Influence Feedback Loop

The biggest influence on RPM International Inc.'s stock price in 2025 was its earnings performance, which directly impacts the institutional holders' returns. When the company reported its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, beating analyst expectations with an adjusted EPS of $1.72 on $2.08 billion in revenue, the stock surged 8.7% in pre-market trading. This is the clearest example of investor influence: good results lead to immediate, significant price appreciation, which rewards the large institutional holders and keeps them on the sidelines.

The company's ability to mark its 51st consecutive year of increasing cash dividends in fiscal 2025 is also a massive draw for income-focused institutional funds and retirement accounts, reinforcing their long-term, buy-and-hold strategy. This consistent return of capital is a signal of financial strength and disciplined capital allocation that the largest investors demand.

So, the buying and continued holding by these giants is a vote of confidence in the management team's ability to execute on its operational goals, especially as they finish the MAP 2025 program. The most actionable insight here is that you should track the 13F filings of these top holders-if they start selling in bulk, it's a major red flag that their conviction in RPM International Inc.'s long-term story is breaking down.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You want to know who is buying RPM International Inc. (RPM) and why, because understanding the big players' conviction is half the battle in investment. The short answer is that institutional investors-the mutual funds and pensions-are heavily committed, but their sentiment is currently a cautious 'Moderate Buy' or 'Hold,' reflecting a market wrestling with near-term risks despite clear long-term growth drivers.

As of November 2025, the 'big money' owns the vast majority of the company. Institutional ownership sits at a robust 83.64% of shares outstanding. That's a powerful signal of credibility in the investment community, meaning major funds see RPM International Inc.'s specialty coatings and sealants business as a core holding. However, this high concentration also means the stock price is highly sensitive to their collective trading actions. Insider ownership, by comparison, is only 2.45%, suggesting management's financial interest is less aligned with external shareholders than you might prefer.

Here's the quick math on recent sentiment: when RPM International Inc. missed its fiscal Q3 2025 earnings in April, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.35 against a forecasted $0.50, the market reacted swiftly and negatively, sending the stock down 4.89%. But when they crushed expectations in Q4 2025 in August, with adjusted EPS of $1.72 on revenue of $2.08 billion-beating the $2.01 billion forecast-the stock jumped 8.7%. It's a classic case: the market is unforgiving on misses but rewards execution, so you can defintely expect volatility around earnings.

• Institutional ownership: 83.64% of shares.
• Q4 2025 Revenue: $2.08 billion (beat forecast).
• Recent 3-month stock trend: Down over 17%.

Analyst Perspectives and Key Investor Influence

The analyst community's consensus rating is a 'Moderate Buy' or 'Hold,' which is a bit of a mixed message. It tells you they like the long-term story but see headwinds now. Out of 15 analysts, the average 12-month price target is approximately $130.86. That implies a significant upside of around 26.83% from the current price, suggesting they believe the stock is undervalued at its recent trading levels.

What this estimate hides is the split of opinion. You have the bullish side, like BMO Capital, setting a high price target of $152.00, and the more cautious view, with the low target at $110.00. The key investors-these large institutions-are buying into RPM International Inc.'s strategic initiatives, namely the MAP 2025 program, which is designed to drive operational efficiencies. Management expects this program to deliver a $100 million impact in fiscal 2026, which is a concrete number that moves the needle for a company of this size.

The market has also been absorbing leadership changes announced in October 2025, part of a strategic reorganization to enhance operational efficiency. This kind of internal restructuring is often a signal to institutional investors that management is serious about execution, which is crucial for a company with a strong Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of RPM International Inc. (RPM). The biggest risk analysts are flagging is the company's heavy exposure to the U.S. economy-about 75% of its revenue-and the deteriorating housing market, which directly impacts its Consumer and Construction Products segments.

To be fair, the analysts are raising price targets, with B of A Securities, for example, raising theirs to $129 in October 2025. This action shows they are willing to price in the future operational improvements even if they are still maintaining a 'Hold' rating due to those macroeconomic risks. This table shows the range of current analyst expectations:

Your action here is to watch for updates on the housing market and the progress of the MAP 2025 program. If the housing market stabilizes and RPM International Inc. hits its efficiency targets, the institutional 'Hold' will quickly flip to a 'Buy.'