MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Stock Price Down 2% – Here’s What Happened

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP)’s share price fell 2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $60.76 and last traded at $61.0850. 6,503,541 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 7,117,001 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.30.

MP Materials News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MP Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New multi‑year commercial and defense contracts boost revenue visibility and vertical integration: MP secured a 10‑year agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, expanded recycled‑magnet supply to Apple, and is scaling in‑house magnet production with plans for a large “10X” facility — moves that raise long‑term demand visibility and margin potential. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing for secular demand drivers: Jefferies says MP is underpinned by electrification and emerging defense uses, highlighting durable end‑markets that support the stock despite cyclical noise. The firm also models conservatively and notes roughly $6B of financial flexibility to fund growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Execution on magnet production could drive re‑rating: Coverage highlights deals with OEMs (Apple, GM) and MP’s push to scale U.S. rare‑earth magnet output — successful ramping would convert commodity exposure into higher‑margin manufacturing revenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed media and commentator views: Jim Cramer said he likes MP but also made a valuation quip (“only worth $10B”), producing a mixed signal for retail sentiment that can amplify intraday volatility. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Bull case pieces argue undervaluation: Opinion/analysis articles list vertical integration and defense contracts as reasons MP may be undervalued, but these are thesis‑driven takes rather than new company disclosures. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term demand and earnings pressure: Analysts and coverage flag weaker demand from consumer electronics and EVs as a near‑term headwind. MP’s recent quarter showed revenue below consensus and negative margins, underscoring potential short‑term earnings volatility until magnet volumes scale. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MP. TD Securities upgraded shares of MP Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of MP Materials in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MP Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of MP Materials from $71.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MP Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.09.

MP Materials Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 7.24 and a quick ratio of 6.67. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.99. The stock has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -117.47 and a beta of 1.67.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.07. MP Materials had a negative net margin of 38.26% and a negative return on equity of 4.28%. The firm had revenue of $52.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.06 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.12) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that MP Materials Corp. will post -0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MP Materials news, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 46,000 shares of MP Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $2,760,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 129,017 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,020. The trade was a 26.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MP Materials

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MP. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 26.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 234,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,716,000 after purchasing an additional 49,052 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MP Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $215,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of MP Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $219,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 193,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,734,000 after purchasing an additional 51,348 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.55% of the company’s stock.

About MP Materials

MP Materials Corporation operates as a vertically integrated producer of rare earth materials in North America. The company owns and manages the Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility in California, the only commercially viable rare earth mining and processing site in the United States. MP Materials extracts, separates and refines critical rare earth elements—such as neodymium, praseodymium, and cerium—which are essential inputs for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and various defense applications.

The Mountain Pass mine first began commercial rare earth production in the 1950s and was later operated by Molycorp until its bankruptcy in 2015.