Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Shares Up 2.3% – Here’s Why

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)’s share price rose 2.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $69.44 and last traded at $65.0780. Approximately 48,119,036 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 100% from the average daily volume of 24,011,500 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.63.

Freeport-McMoRan News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: FCX hit an all-time high intraday, reflecting momentum as copper rallies and investor interest climbs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Freeport beat Q4 profit and revenue estimates and management outlined Grasberg restart plans that refocus investor debate toward recovery and higher future output. This beat underpins today’s buying. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Macro tailwind: MarketBeat and other coverage highlight a structural copper shortage driven by electrification and AI data-center buildouts — a direct long-term demand driver for FCX. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and price-target revisions have been published in the last 48 hours, supporting upside momentum and likely contributing to today’s rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: ~174,970 call options traded today (about 65% above typical call volume), indicating speculative bullish positioning by options buyers. (No article link available)
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term outlook pieces note Freeport’s 70% rebound since the September selloff and project solid multi-year upside if copper remains elevated — but they also emphasize output recovery timing as a key variable. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Risks: production disruption at Grasberg (mudslide impacts), elevated valuation metrics after the rally, and the possibility of short-term profit-taking or a pullback if copper prices correct. These factors temper the near-term outlook. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on FCX. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Hsbc Global Res raised Freeport-McMoRan from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Freeport-McMoRan from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $53.50 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $54.00 to $48.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.40.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $93.45 billion, a PE ratio of 43.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.45. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $5.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.42 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.31 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.87%.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares in the company, valued at $5,053,059.06. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Freeport-McMoRan

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,807 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 2,882 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 9,616 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $560,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 29.3% in the 2nd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,667 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,512 shares during the period. Finally, GC Wealth Management RIA LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter valued at approximately $296,000. 80.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile

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.