Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $72.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Freeport-McMoRan from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.27.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FCX opened at $69.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Freeport-McMoRan has a 1 year low of $35.15 and a 1 year high of $72.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $64.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.85.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.12. Freeport-McMoRan had a return on equity of 10.63% and a net margin of 11.39%.The company had revenue of $7.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.78%.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In other news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 14,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $992,251.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 54,618 shares in the company, valued at $3,795,951. This trade represents a 20.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 4,773 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $334,110.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 36,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,520,000. The trade was a 11.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,600 shares of company stock worth $1,802,012 over the last ninety days. 0.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FCX. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. increased its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 43.7% during the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 493 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Freeport-McMoRan declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, equivalent to $0.30 annually and a yield of approximately 0.4%. The dividend provides a modest income component for shareholders. Freeport-McMoRan Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Market attention remains centered on FCX’s copper exposure, with demand expectations tied to electrification, power-grid investment, electric vehicles and data-center infrastructure. Copper and gold prices and outlooks remain important potential catalysts. Why Freeport-McMoRan Is Drawing Copper Attention
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened trader interest and potentially bullish speculation in FCX, though options positioning can also increase short-term volatility. Freeport-McMoRan Target of Unusually High Options Trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $2.52 from $2.43 and its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.85 from $0.75. However, the firm maintained its current-year consensus reference at $2.75, making the broader earnings signal mixed.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut several forward estimates, including Q3 and Q4 2026 EPS to $0.63 and $0.58, FY2027 EPS to $3.54 from $3.65, and FY2028 EPS to $3.52 from $3.82. The reductions may raise concerns about production, commodity-price or cost assumptions.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Ellie Mikes sold 4,773 shares for approximately $334,110, reducing her direct holdings by 11.71%. The sale is a modest negative sentiment signal, though it may reflect personal financial planning rather than weaker company fundamentals. Ellie Mikes Sells FCX Shares

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.