MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Time to Sell?

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP)’s stock price dropped 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $53.25 and last traded at $53.75. 3,359,170 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 6,580,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.70.

Key Headlines Impacting MP Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: MP Materials is making steady progress on its long-term rare-earth production plans, with assistance from the U.S. government. The support strengthens the company’s strategic position in the domestic critical-minerals supply chain and is helping drive bullish interest in the shares. MP Materials’ Stock is Surging: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: MP Materials ranks among the most heavily shorted materials stocks with market capitalizations above $2 billion. While high short interest signals bearish positioning, it also creates the potential for a short squeeze if positive company news or sector momentum forces investors to cover positions. MP Materials lead shorts among $2B+ materials stocks; SQM at bottom
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Ryan Corbett is scheduled to participate in the Jefferies 2026 Global Industrials Conference on September 9. The event could provide updates on strategy, government partnerships, manufacturing execution and financial outlook, but no new operating information was announced. MP Materials to Participate in Jefferies 2026 Global Industrials Conference

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on MP Materials from $70.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of MP Materials in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of MP Materials in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of MP Materials from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.21.

MP Materials Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $51.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -158.08 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 9.51 and a quick ratio of 8.56.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $108.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $96.89 million. MP Materials had a negative net margin of 19.85% and a negative return on equity of 1.21%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 89.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.13) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MP Materials Corp. will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael Rosenthal bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $54.30 per share, for a total transaction of $543,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 136,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,418,574.60. This represents a 7.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in MP Materials by 5,523.6% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 9,225,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,731,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061,633 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MP Materials during the 4th quarter worth $82,531,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in MP Materials by 76.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,921,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264,243 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in MP Materials by 71.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,834,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,220,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in MP Materials in the second quarter valued at about $65,230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.