Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Trading Down 2.4% – Time to Sell?

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)’s share price traded down 2.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $53.29 and last traded at $54.1910. 22,316,922 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 2% from the average session volume of 22,768,615 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.50.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets from major banks (Scotiabank raised its target to $63; JPMorgan raised to $68) signal stronger analyst conviction and provide upside support for the stock. Scotiabank price target raised
• Positive Sentiment: Independent research and media pieces (Zacks, MSN/other outlets) highlight strong copper markets, supply tightness and robust demand as drivers for FCX’s growth outlook. Those narratives bolster investor enthusiasm for mining/copper exposure. Zacks: FCX is a strong growth stock
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity: notable call buying and heavy call-volume flows have been reported recently, consistent with bullish positioning by traders. Such flows can amplify short‑term upside. Call options activity reported
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus broker ratings skew positive (overall “Buy”), reflecting broad analyst support but also setting expectations that could be sensitive to execution or commodity price moves. Consensus Buy from brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or announced securities‑fraud class action suits and investor investigation notices against FCX (claims cover Feb 15, 2022–Sep 24, 2025). These filings create legal risk, potential defense costs and distraction that can weigh on sentiment. Levi & Korsinsky class action notice
• Negative Sentiment: Several plaintiff firms (Robbins Geller, Bragar Eagel & Squire, Faruqi & Faruqi, Kirby McInerney, Gross Law Firm, etc.) are soliciting lead‑plaintiff motions with a near‑term deadline (Jan. 12), increasing the probability of consolidated litigation and potential recovery claims. That timetable raises short‑term legal overhang. Robbins Geller / lead plaintiff deadline

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FCX has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Bank of America upgraded Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $51.73.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $45.93 and a 200-day moving average of $43.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 2.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.45.

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

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio is 21.13%.

Insider Activity

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, 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 transaction of $1,364,019.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,053,059.06. This represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total transaction of $456,201.52. Following the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Iowa State Bank boosted its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 49,059 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,628 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.8% in the second quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 30,333 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.6% in the second quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 45,133 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $1,957,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.6% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 45,095 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $1,769,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. 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.