Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Stock Price Up 4.2% After Analyst Upgrade

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) shares rose 4.2% on Friday after Scotiabank raised their price target on the stock from $47.00 to $63.00. Scotiabank currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Freeport-McMoRan traded as high as $56.71 and last traded at $56.5140. Approximately 19,259,769 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 22,678,590 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.22.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on FCX. Johnson Rice cut their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freeport-McMoRan

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the business’s 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 owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,053,059.06. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total transaction of $456,201.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 38,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,847,349.26. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Key Freeport-McMoRan News

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 1,962.9% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 722 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Freeport-McMoRan during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the third quarter valued at $36,000. 80.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $45.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.84. 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 company has a market cap of $81.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.38 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s payout ratio is presently 21.13%.

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.