Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Trading 1% Higher – Time to Buy?

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) was up 1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $60.09 and last traded at $59.3260. Approximately 21,698,041 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 22,282,293 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.71.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: BofA’s latest note highlighting its top picks in the red‑hot metals sector is amplifying demand for large, liquid copper producers; that sector lift is benefiting market leaders like Freeport. BofA details its top 3 stock picks in the red‑hot metals sector
• Positive Sentiment: News coverage pointing to the specific drivers that “lifted” FCX (sector strength, commodity price moves and company fundamentals) is reinforcing bullish sentiment and helping to attract momentum investors. Here’s what lifted Freeport McMoRan (FCX)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reports heightened user and investor attention on FCX, highlighting that the stock is on watch lists — increased retail and analyst focus can amplify intraday moves and support higher valuations. Freeport‑McMoRan Inc. (FCX) is Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated sector items (e.g., small‑cap exploration restarts) are being reported in mining/news feeds; these have little direct impact on Freeport but add to overall metals coverage. C3 Metals Restarts Full Exploration Activities in Jamaica
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have issued class‑action reminders and are soliciting potential lead plaintiffs in a securities‑fraud suit against FCX; ongoing litigation risk can increase uncertainty and pressure the stock if developments accelerate. Faruqi & Faruqi class action reminder
• Negative Sentiment: Additional firms (Frank R. Cruz; Schall Law Firm) posted similar lawsuit/deadline alerts, amplifying headlines around legal exposure and keeping downside risk in focus for investors. Frank R. Cruz class action reminder Schall Law Firm notice

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FCX. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $54.00 to $48.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.06.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Up 1.0%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $46.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $85.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.45.

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

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 issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Freeport-McMoRan’s payout ratio is currently 21.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total transaction of $1,364,019.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 105,294 shares in the company, valued at $5,053,059.06. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 24,034 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 27.3% during the fourth quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 21,000 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $302,000. CPA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $254,000. Finally, Stableford Capital II LLC increased its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 121.3% in the 4th quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 65,900 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $3,347,000 after acquiring an additional 36,123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.77% of the company’s stock.

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.