Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Freeport-McMoRan

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the natural resource company will earn $0.44 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.38. The consensus estimate for Freeport-McMoRan’s current full-year earnings is $1.68 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Freeport-McMoRan’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.58 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.78 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.84 EPS.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Citigroup increased their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price objective on Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.40.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

Shares of FCX stock opened at $61.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $88.77 billion, a PE ratio of 40.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $53.31 and a 200-day moving average of $45.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Freeport-McMoRan has a one year low of $27.66 and a one year high of $69.44.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 EPS 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 business had revenue of $5.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FCX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 130,332,957 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $6,619,611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,572,769 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 63,258,414 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $2,480,995,000 after acquiring an additional 899,699 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 62,477,910 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $2,450,384,000 after acquiring an additional 690,736 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 190.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 36,494,793 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $1,431,326,000 after purchasing an additional 23,950,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 21,671,223 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $849,945,000 after purchasing an additional 435,963 shares during the period. 80.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Freeport-McMoRan

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of Freeport-McMoRan 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,053,059.06. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $456,201.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.87%.

Freeport-McMoRan News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised near‑term and multi‑quarter EPS forecasts across the board — lifting Q1/Q2/Q3 2026 and Q1/Q2/Q3 2027 estimates and issuing a FY2028 EPS projection of $2.84. The upgrades (e.g., Q2 2027 to $0.78, Q1 2027 to $0.63) imply stronger expected earnings that can justify higher valuations and support FCX stock. Zacks estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst price target bump raised FCX’s target by ~10.45% to $62.23, signaling renewed buy‑side conviction and providing a nearer‑term technical/psychological catalyst. Price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights that Freeport is benefiting from record copper prices while emphasizing disciplined growth. Higher commodity prices lift revenue and margins for copper-centric producers like FCX, making their capital allocation and growth plans more valuable. Yahoo: Record copper prices article
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation‑focused piece reviews FCX after recent earnings and copper demand optimism — useful context for investors gauging whether the stock’s rally is supported by fundamentals or already priced in. Valuation check
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha commentary argues investors may want to wait for a better entry point, warning valuations and cyclicality could expose downside if metal prices reverse — a reminder of commodity risk. Seeking Alpha cautionary piece

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.