MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Shares Down 4.5% – Here’s What Happened

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP)’s stock price was down 4.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $55.45 and last traded at $56.2490. 5,916,812 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the average session volume of 6,879,546 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.90.

More MP Materials News

Here are the key news stories impacting MP Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he prefers MP Materials over NioCorp, which may provide a sentiment boost by reinforcing MP as the more established rare-earth name in the group. Jim Cramer Recommends MP Materials Over NioCorp
• Positive Sentiment: China’s export controls and broader rare-earth restrictions are highlighting MP’s strategic importance to U.S. defense and clean-energy supply chains, which could support long-term demand for its production. MP Materials (MP) Faces Fresh China Export Controls As Rare Earth Focus Grows
• Neutral Sentiment: MP’s presentation at the J.P. Morgan Natural Resources Conference kept the stock in focus, but the transcript itself did not include a clear new catalyst for traders. MP Materials Corp. (MP) Presents at J.P. Morgan Natural Resources Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are questioning whether MP’s recent rally leaves the stock richly valued, suggesting the market is reassessing how much upside remains after a strong run. Is MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Facing A Valuation Test?
• Negative Sentiment: MP’s cash flow is still negative despite some improvement in Q1 2026, as higher costs, downstream expansion spending, and weak rare-earth pricing continue to weigh on profitability. MP Materials’ Cash Flow Still Negative: Any Relief in Sight?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is also increasing as Energy Fuels’ move into magnet manufacturing underscores that MP may face a more crowded domestic rare-earth market going forward. Could UUUU’s VAC Deal Accelerate Long-Term Growth Prospects?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wedbush raised their price target on MP Materials from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on MP Materials in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MP Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MP Materials has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.14.

MP Materials Stock Down 4.5%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $62.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.67. The company has a current ratio of 7.18, a quick ratio of 6.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a PE ratio of -133.93 and a beta of 1.86.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.04. MP Materials had a negative return on equity of 2.27% and a negative net margin of 28.00%.The firm had revenue of $90.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $74.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.12) EPS. MP Materials’s revenue was up 49.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that MP Materials Corp. will post -0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MP Materials

In other MP Materials news, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 109,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,176,275. This represents a 15.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Michael Stuart Rosenthal acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $54.30 per share, for a total transaction of $543,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 136,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,418,574.60. This trade represents a 7.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,205,167 shares of company stock valued at $79,371,654. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MP Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MP Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $82,531,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 76.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,921,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,264,243 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 71.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,834,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,220,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,307 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of MP Materials by 7.2% in the third quarter. Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd now owns 14,861,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,741,000 after buying an additional 1,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of MP Materials by 1,320.8% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 954,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,934,000 after buying an additional 887,148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.55% of the company’s stock.

MP Materials Company Profile

MP Materials Corporation operates as a vertically integrated producer of rare earth materials in North America. The company owns and manages the Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility in California, the only commercially viable rare earth mining and processing site in the United States. MP Materials extracts, separates and refines critical rare earth elements—such as neodymium, praseodymium, and cerium—which are essential inputs for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and various defense applications.

The Mountain Pass mine first began commercial rare earth production in the 1950s and was later operated by Molycorp until its bankruptcy in 2015.