MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Time to Sell?

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP) shares dropped 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $53.25 and last traded at $53.75. Approximately 3,359,170 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 6,580,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.70.

More MP Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: MP Materials is making steady progress on its long-term rare-earth production plans, with assistance from the U.S. government. The support strengthens the company’s strategic position in the domestic critical-minerals supply chain and is helping drive bullish interest in the shares. MP Materials’ Stock is Surging: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: MP Materials ranks among the most heavily shorted materials stocks with market capitalizations above $2 billion. While high short interest signals bearish positioning, it also creates the potential for a short squeeze if positive company news or sector momentum forces investors to cover positions. MP Materials lead shorts among $2B+ materials stocks; SQM at bottom
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Ryan Corbett is scheduled to participate in the Jefferies 2026 Global Industrials Conference on September 9. The event could provide updates on strategy, government partnerships, manufacturing execution and financial outlook, but no new operating information was announced. MP Materials to Participate in Jefferies 2026 Global Industrials Conference

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MP Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of MP Materials from $70.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on MP Materials from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded MP Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.21.

MP Materials Trading Down 1.7%

The company has a market cap of $9.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -158.08 and a beta of 1.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $51.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 8.56 and a current ratio of 9.51.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.01). MP Materials had a negative net margin of 19.85% and a negative return on equity of 1.21%. The business had revenue of $108.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $96.89 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.13) EPS. MP Materials’s revenue was up 89.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MP Materials Corp. will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MP Materials

In other MP Materials news, COO Michael Rosenthal purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $54.30 per share, for a total transaction of $543,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 136,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,418,574.60. The trade was a 7.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MP Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of MP Materials by 7.2% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in MP Materials by 5,523.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 9,225,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,731,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061,633 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in MP Materials by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,597,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,325,000 after acquiring an additional 769,517 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 76.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,921,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264,243 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 71.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,834,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,220,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,307 shares during the period. 52.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.