MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Shares Down 2.2% Following Insider Selling

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP) shares were down 2.2% during mid-day trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $66.51 and last traded at $67.6060. Approximately 11,517,535 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 64% from the average daily volume of 7,039,278 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.13.

Specifically, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 109,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,176,275. This represents a 15.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on MP shares. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $82.00 target price on shares of MP Materials in a report on Friday. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of MP Materials in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of MP Materials from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MP Materials from $71.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MP Materials presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.33.

MP Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: MP Materials reported first-quarter EPS of $0.03, beating the loss estimate, while revenue of $90.65 million also topped expectations and rose 49.1% year over year. MP Materials Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company said it delivered record NdPr production and sales, advanced growth projects at Independence and 10X, and maintained its $500 million to $600 million capex plan while targeting a 500-tons-per-month NdPr run rate by the end of 2026. MP Materials Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the release, with Wedbush raising its price target to $100 from $90 and keeping an outperform rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also helped by commentary from CEO James Litinsky that geopolitical tensions could accelerate demand for rare earth magnets, reinforcing MP’s strategic importance. Iran war points to ‘huge demand accelerant for rare earth magnetics,’ MP Materials CEO says
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage and earnings-call recaps are keeping MP Materials in focus, but they largely reiterate the same story: improving production, stronger sales, and a big long-term domestic rare-earth opportunity. MP Materials Corp. (MP) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, the stock pulled back as investors focused on rising costs, weak momentum, and a premium valuation, suggesting the quarter was good but not enough to eliminate execution concerns. MP Dips 5% Despite Q1 Earnings Beat: How to Play the Stock?

MP Materials Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $58.37 and its 200-day moving average is $59.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 7.24 and a quick ratio of 6.67. The firm has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a PE ratio of -160.97 and a beta of 1.90.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.04. MP Materials had a negative net margin of 28.00% and a negative return on equity of 2.37%. The business had revenue of $90.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.12) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 49.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that MP Materials Corp. will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of MP Materials

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Costello Asset Management INC increased its holdings in MP Materials by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Composition Wealth LLC increased its holdings in MP Materials by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Composition Wealth LLC now owns 18,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in MP Materials by 28.1% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 806 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in MP Materials by 4.7% during the third quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, ARS Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in MP Materials by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC now owns 19,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.55% of the company’s stock.

MP Materials Company Profile

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.