Investors Purchase Large Volume of Freeport-McMoRan Call Options (NYSE:FCX)

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 101,726 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 29% compared to the typical daily volume of 78,989 call options.

Freeport-McMoRan News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade / earnings outlook — Jefferies updated models after Freeport’s provisional Q4 disclosure and expects fourth‑quarter results to beat consensus on stronger realized copper and gold prices, supporting upside to EPS estimates. Freeport EPS expected to outperform as Grasberg ramp-up delayed
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying — Tuesday’s options flow showed ~101,726 calls traded (≈29% above average), signalling sizable bullish bets that can amplify intraday upside and momentum in the equity.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / technicals — reports that FCX hit a 52‑week high are attracting momentum buyers and algorithmic flows, which can push the stock higher near key technical levels. Freeport McMoRan stock hits 52-week high
• Negative Sentiment: Widespread class‑action notices — multiple law firms have filed or announced securities‑class actions covering purchases from Feb 15, 2022 through Sept 24, 2025 and are soliciting lead‑plaintiff motions with a Jan 12 deadline; this creates potential litigation risk, headline volatility and possible settlement exposure. INVESTOR DEADLINE NEXT WEEK: Robbins Geller…
• Negative Sentiment: Allegations & investigation risk — at least one firm (Kuehn Law) flags claims that Freeport misrepresented safety controls at the Grasberg block‑cave mine and failed to disclose heightened regulatory, litigation and reputational risks; such allegations can prolong legal pressure and spur additional regulatory scrutiny. Kuehn Law Encourages Investors…

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total value of $456,201.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total transaction of $1,364,019.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,053,059.06. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the third quarter worth $36,000. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FCX shares. HSBC cut their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Johnson Rice cut their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Freeport-McMoRan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup upgraded Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Freeport-McMoRan from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $50.49.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of FCX opened at $56.07 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Freeport-McMoRan has a 12 month low of $27.66 and a 12 month high of $57.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $45.12 and its 200-day moving average is $43.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.45.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a return on equity of 7.84% and a net margin of 7.97%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Freeport-McMoRan will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.13%.

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.