Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Stock Price Up 1.3% After Analyst Upgrade

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) shares shot up 1.3% during trading on Friday after BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on the stock from $56.00 to $75.00. BNP Paribas Exane currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Freeport-McMoRan traded as high as $63.35 and last traded at $62.8220. 14,359,075 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 23,453,617 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.04.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. HSBC boosted their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freeport-McMoRan

In other news, Chairman Richard C. Adkerson sold 152,960 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.65, for a total transaction of $9,888,864.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 3,356,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $216,975,679.35. This trade represents a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Douglas N. Currault II sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.52, for a total value of $4,839,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 219,181 shares in the company, valued at $14,141,558.12. The trade was a 25.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 513,986 shares of company stock worth $32,124,432. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane raised its price target on FCX to $75 (from $56) and kept an Outperform rating — a sizable target upgrade that implies material upside vs. current levels and likely helped lift sentiment. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded FCX from Hold to Buy, adding a second broker buy signal in the same session and reinforcing demand from institutional/quant models that track analyst actions. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks/other research note flow highlights upward earnings‑estimate revisions and momentum narratives for FCX, supporting higher multiples and giving analysts cover to lift targets. Zacks Momentum Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage pieces and “momentum” stories (Yahoo, MSN, Zacks) are increasing investor attention — this can amplify moves but is informational rather than a direct fundamental catalyst. Yahoo Finance: Is It Too Late?
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Richard C. Adkerson sold large blocks of stock (248,031 on Feb. 10 and 152,960 on Feb. 11); such high‑profile disposals can weigh on sentiment even if not linked to company performance. SEC filing: Adkerson SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Douglas Currault II sold 75,000 shares (~$4.84M) — a meaningful insider sale disclosed in SEC filings that could add short‑term supply to the market. SEC filing: Currault SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks flagged Grasberg operational setbacks that reduced Q4 volumes (lower volumes can pressure near‑term revenue despite stronger realized metal prices). Zacks: Grasberg Setbacks

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1,962.9% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 722 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 80.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $55.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.68. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $90.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.47.

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

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.87%.

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.