Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for Freeport-McMoRan

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) – Research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a note issued to investors on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the natural resource company will earn $1.49 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $1.51. The consensus estimate for Freeport-McMoRan’s current full-year earnings is $1.68 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Freeport-McMoRan’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.42 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.39 EPS.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other analysts have also commented on FCX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Clarkson Capital upgraded Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Dbs Bank decreased their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $51.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Hsbc Global Res raised Freeport-McMoRan from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.49.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

Shares of FCX stock opened at $51.96 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $43.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.97. Freeport-McMoRan has a 12 month low of $27.66 and a 12 month high of $52.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $74.61 billion, a PE ratio of 36.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.49.

Institutional Trading of Freeport-McMoRan

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 1,962.9% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 722 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 59.6% during the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Freeport-McMoRan

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares in the company, valued at $5,053,059.06. This represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was 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 owned 38,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.13%.

Key Headlines Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $55 (from $47) and maintained an overweight rating, giving investors a bullish analyst catalyst. Wells Fargo lifts FCX price target
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger copper prices and recent commentary about a sizable monthly rally have pushed upside expectations for Freeport’s earnings and cash flow, supporting the stock’s advance. Copper price coverage and upside case
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published pieces highlighting reasons to retain FCX (projected growth from copper expansions and liquidity), which keeps investor interest and volume elevated but notes mixed near‑term risks. Zacks: retain FCX
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also flagged FCX as a trending/talked‑about stock — elevated attention can boost short‑term flows but doesn’t change fundamentals immediately. Zacks: trending stock
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest climbed sharply in December — up ~35% to 28.0M shares as of Dec. 15 — increasing downside pressure and signaling more bearish positioning that could amplify volatility. (Short interest ≈2% of shares; short‑interest ratio ~1.7 days.)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or are soliciting plaintiffs in securities‑fraud class actions covering Feb. 15, 2022–Sept. 24, 2025. Ongoing litigation risk and associated legal costs can weigh on sentiment and create headline risk. PR Newswire: shareholder lawsuit notice
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several near‑term EPS forecasts (Q4 and FY estimates moved slightly lower), a modest downgrade that reduces immediate earnings expectations and offsets some optimism from higher commodity prices.

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.