Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $49.37 and last traded at $49.4440, with a volume of 5024115 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $47.92.

Freeport-McMoRan News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media bullishness: BMO and other analysts see more upside after FCX’s recent rebound and higher copper prices, which supports momentum in the stock. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BMO Capital Markets Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage highlights continued upside following a >30% rally since the September low; analysts point to structural copper demand as a key catalyst. Post 35% Surge, Analysts Eye More Upside in Copper Giant Freeport
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend announcement: FCX declared a quarterly cash dividend (record Jan. 15; payable Feb. 2). Yield is modest but the payout underscores free cash flow and supports shareholder return expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Weekly market context: broader market tailwinds (lower inflation prints, rate-cut expectations) and sector rotation into cyclicals helped commodity names like FCX regain ground; useful context but not company-specific. MarketBeat Week in Review – 12/15 – 12/19
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and intraday sentiment mixed: short-term flow headlines show moderately bullish to mixed options activity—may amplify intraday moves but not a fundamental change. Moderately bullish activity in Freeport-McMoRan with shares up 0.68% Mixed options sentiment in Freeport McMoRan with shares down 0.26%
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple class-action notices and law-firm filings: several firms (Schall, Faruqi, Levi & Korsinsky, Bronstein, Robbins Geller, Glancy, Gross, others) have issued investor alerts and suits covering claims from Feb. 15, 2022 to Sept. 24, 2025, with lead-plaintiff deadlines around Jan. 12, 2026 — this increases legal and disclosure risk and can weigh on sentiment and volatility. FCX INVESTOR DEADLINE APPROACHING: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Announces… FCX Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit Class Action Filed Against Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) Seeking Recovery for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Sector caution: a Benzinga piece flags materials stocks that could underperform into year-end; if commodity prices or macro data reverse, cyclicals like FCX could see downside pressure. Top 2 Materials Stocks That May Plunge In Q4

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, CICC Research decreased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $51.60 to $42.30 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.11.

Freeport-McMoRan Trading Up 2.7%

The company has a market cap of $70.67 billion, a PE ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $42.39 and its 200-day moving average is $42.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s payout ratio is presently 21.13%.

Insider Activity at Freeport-McMoRan

In other news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,053,059.06. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total value of $456,201.52. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 229.9% in the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 26,983 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 18,803 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 215,058 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $9,323,000 after acquiring an additional 22,766 shares during the period. Arrow Capital Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrow Capital Pty Ltd now owns 113,100 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $4,903,000 after acquiring an additional 53,100 shares during the period. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 331,549 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $14,373,000 after acquiring an additional 24,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,970,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.77% of the company’s stock.

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.