Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX Shares Sold by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. decreased its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) by 19.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 44,053 shares of the natural resource company’s stock after selling 10,601 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $1,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Freeport-McMoRan during the second quarter worth $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 1,962.9% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 722 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 977 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 80.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FCX. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $58.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $53.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.35.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Down 5.3%

Freeport-McMoRan stock opened at $62.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.03 billion, a PE ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 2.29. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.66 and a fifty-two week high of $69.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.68.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.31 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were 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 was Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.87%.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In related news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total value 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. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Douglas N. Currault II sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.52, for a total transaction of $4,839,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 219,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,141,558.12. The trade was a 25.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 513,986 shares of company stock valued at $32,124,432. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target on FCX from $52 to $76 and kept a “buy” rating — a meaningful upgrade that reinforces upside expectations and likely supported buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights that analysts have been raising earnings estimates for Freeport, suggesting upward earnings momentum that can justify higher valuations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and at least one analyst upgrade earlier this week pushed the stock higher intraday (reports noted a ~3.4% move on an upgrade), showing broker conviction can drive near-term gains. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary asks whether the stock is still attractive after a large one‑year rally (~75%), a framing piece for investors debating buy vs. profit‑taking. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several momentum/strategy pieces highlight FCX as a long‑term momentum name, increasing visibility but not serving as a direct catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Richard Adkerson executed large share sales (including a 248,031‑share block reported Feb. 10 and further sales on Feb. 11); sizeable insider dispositions often trigger short‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Douglas Currault II sold 75,000 shares (~$4.84M), disclosed in SEC filings; another material insider sale that can amplify profit‑taking concerns. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks flags Grasberg operational setbacks that cut Q4 volumes (lower copper/gold shipments despite stronger realized prices), a production risk investors need to monitor. Read More.

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.