Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Trading Up 2.7% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)’s share price traded up 2.7% during trading on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $60.81 and last traded at $60.4590. 24,461,953 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 22,243,217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.85.

The natural resource company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $5.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 8.50%.Freeport-McMoRan’s revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.31 EPS.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Freeport-McMoRan’s payout ratio is currently 21.13%.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: FCX reported Q4 EPS above estimates and revenue topped expectations, driven by higher realized copper and gold prices which offset lower volumes. The company reiterated financial materials and hosted a conference call. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price targets lifted sentiment: recent upgrades and bullish targets helped push FCX to a new 12‑month high, supporting momentum in the stock. Analyst Upgrade/12‑Month High
• Positive Sentiment: Commodity tailwinds: rising copper and gold prices materially boosted profits in Q4 and underpin revenue upside potential for 2026, a key reason investors are favoring FCX as a leveraged way to play the metals rally. Reuters: Profit Beat, Commodity Impact
• Neutral Sentiment: Grasberg mine restart timeline: management said the Grasberg mine (Indonesia) is on track for a Q2 restart after the deadly mudslide — a positive operational milestone but still contains execution and permitting risks. MSN: Grasberg Restart
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks/style coverage and valuation notes: Zacks flagged FCX as a top‑ranked value stock for certain investor styles, increasing visibility among value-focused funds. That can attract inflows but doesn’t change fundamentals. Zacks: Value Stock Callout
• Negative Sentiment: Volumes and guidance caveats: management trimmed 2026 copper sales volume guidance after Q4, and production was hurt in the quarter by the Grasberg suspension — factors that limit upside unless volumes recover. Investor’s Business Daily: Sales Outlook Trimmed
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and cash-flow pressures: while net income rose, gross and operating profit declined and operating cash flow fell year‑over‑year in Q4, highlighting cost and volume headwinds that could constrain margins if metal prices weaken. Yahoo Finance: Q4 Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest/longer-term performance: pieces on long‑term returns and valuation (e.g., Benzinga/MarketBeat articles) increase retail attention but are less likely to move the stock than fresh earnings/operational news. Benzinga: 5‑Year Returns

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FCX. Johnson Rice dropped their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Dbs Bank cut their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $51.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Clarkson Capital raised Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total transaction of $456,201.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 38,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,847,349.26. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,053,059.06. This represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Freeport-McMoRan

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Freeport-McMoRan during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 80.77% of the company’s stock.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $86.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 2.29. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.01.

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.