Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Trading Down 2.8% – Here’s Why

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)’s share price traded down 2.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $58.24 and last traded at $58.89. 25,554,422 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 16% from the average session volume of 22,075,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.58.

Key Stories Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

Here are the key news stories impacting Freeport-McMoRan this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: FCX reported Q4 EPS above estimates and revenue topped expectations, driven by higher realized copper and gold prices which offset lower volumes. The company reiterated financial materials and hosted a conference call. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price targets lifted sentiment: recent upgrades and bullish targets helped push FCX to a new 12‑month high, supporting momentum in the stock. Analyst Upgrade/12‑Month High
• Positive Sentiment: Commodity tailwinds: rising copper and gold prices materially boosted profits in Q4 and underpin revenue upside potential for 2026, a key reason investors are favoring FCX as a leveraged way to play the metals rally. Reuters: Profit Beat, Commodity Impact
• Neutral Sentiment: Grasberg mine restart timeline: management said the Grasberg mine (Indonesia) is on track for a Q2 restart after the deadly mudslide — a positive operational milestone but still contains execution and permitting risks. MSN: Grasberg Restart
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks/style coverage and valuation notes: Zacks flagged FCX as a top‑ranked value stock for certain investor styles, increasing visibility among value-focused funds. That can attract inflows but doesn’t change fundamentals. Zacks: Value Stock Callout
• Negative Sentiment: Volumes and guidance caveats: management trimmed 2026 copper sales volume guidance after Q4, and production was hurt in the quarter by the Grasberg suspension — factors that limit upside unless volumes recover. Investor’s Business Daily: Sales Outlook Trimmed
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and cash-flow pressures: while net income rose, gross and operating profit declined and operating cash flow fell year‑over‑year in Q4, highlighting cost and volume headwinds that could constrain margins if metal prices weaken. Yahoo Finance: Q4 Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest/longer-term performance: pieces on long‑term returns and valuation (e.g., Benzinga/MarketBeat articles) increase retail attention but are less likely to move the stock than fresh earnings/operational news. Benzinga: 5‑Year Returns

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Clarkson Capital raised Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Johnson Rice reduced their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.20.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $86.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.04, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company’s 50-day moving average is $49.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.01.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $5.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.13%.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In related news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total transaction of $456,201.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total transaction of $1,364,019.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,053,059.06. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Leo Wealth LLC grew its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 6,838 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank lifted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 49,059 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 8,377 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. grew its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,628 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 30,333 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.77% of the company’s stock.

About Freeport-McMoRan

Freeport-McMoRan Inc is a U.S.-based natural resources company primarily engaged in the exploration, mining and processing of copper, gold and molybdenum. Its operations encompass large-scale open-pit and underground mining as well as associated concentrator and milling facilities. The company produces copper in the form of concentrates and cathodes, and also recovers gold and molybdenum as co-products; its business model includes exploration, development, mining, beneficiation and the sale of bulk commodities to smelters and industrial customers.

Freeport-McMoRan conducts operations and development activities across multiple geographies, with substantial assets in the Americas and Indonesia.