Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Stock

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) had its target price hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from $68.00 to $76.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the natural resource company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 21.48% from the stock’s previous close.

FCX has been the topic of a number of other reports. HSBC upped their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Argus raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Freeport-McMoRan from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $53.50 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.64.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

Freeport-McMoRan stock opened at $62.56 on Tuesday. 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 cap of $89.84 billion, a PE ratio of 41.43, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.47. The company’s 50-day moving average is $56.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.31. Freeport-McMoRan has a 1 year low of $27.66 and a 1 year high of $69.44.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freeport-McMoRan

In other news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.03, for a total value of $682,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 40,773 shares in the company, valued at $2,529,149.19. This trade represents a 21.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the company’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 owned 105,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,053,059.06. This represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 573,486 shares of company stock valued at $35,791,937. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Leo Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 6,838 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 924 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,687 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,119 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.77% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company secured a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian government to amend PT Freeport Indonesia’s special mining business license (IUPK) for a life‑of‑resource extension of operating rights — this lowers regulatory tenure risk for Grasberg (a top global copper/gold asset) and strengthens Freeport’s long‑term production and cash‑flow outlook. FCX Announces Agreement for Life of Resource Extension of Operating Rights in Grasberg Minerals District
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on FCX to $76 (from $68) and maintained a Buy rating — a prominent broker upgrade that can attract flows and supports upside expectations versus the current market price. Jefferies adjusts Freeport McMoran PT to $76 from $68, maintains buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Senior insiders disclosed stock sales this week: CFO Maree Robertson sold 48,500 shares (filed with the SEC) and CAO Ellie Mikes sold 11,000 shares — sizable disposals that may be viewed negatively by some investors even if they’re routine or for diversification. SEC filing — CFO sale SEC filing — CAO sale
• Negative Sentiment: Sector commentary highlights strong performance from peers (e.g., BHP) and increased copper demand — but also notes Freeport is still dealing with the aftermath of the 2025 Grasberg mudflow, which has limited near‑term production and may delay Freeport’s ability to fully benefit from a copper rally. (Market positioning and operational recovery timelines remain key risks.)

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.