BNP Paribas Exane Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Stock

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) had its target price hoisted by analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $56.00 to $75.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the natural resource company’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price points to a potential upside of 19.38% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on FCX. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $53.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Freeport-McMoRan has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.26.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

Freeport-McMoRan stock opened at $62.82 on Thursday. Freeport-McMoRan has a fifty-two week low of $27.66 and a fifty-two week high of $69.44. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $90.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.47.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total value 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 approximately $5,053,059.06. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 219,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,141,558.12. The trade was a 25.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 513,986 shares of company stock valued at $32,124,432 over the last 90 days. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Freeport-McMoRan

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

Key Stories 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 sizeable lift to upside expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded FCX from “hold” to “buy,” reinforcing buy-side momentum and contributing to short‑term demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Other broker actions (Stifel raised its target to $76; UBS, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley have recently lifted targets) add to the analyst-driven narrative supporting higher valuations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other research outlets highlight rising earnings-estimate revisions and momentum characteristics for FCX, which can justify multiple expansion if commodity prices and volumes cooperate. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased media and analyst attention (multiple Zacks pieces, MSN/Yahoo coverage) is amplifying flows into FCX but is informational rather than a direct operational catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Grasberg production setbacks materially reduced Q4 copper/gold volumes, a real operational headwind that can limit near-term revenue despite stronger prices. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales: Chairman Richard Adkerson disclosed multi-hundred-thousand‑share disposals (Feb. 10–11 filings) totaling tens of millions of dollars — these trades can sap sentiment even if explained by diversification or tax planning. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Douglas Currault II sold 75,000 shares (~$4.8M); insider selling at the executive level is a nearer-term negative for perception of internal conviction. Read More.

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.