MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Stock Price Down 2.3% – Time to Sell?

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP)’s share price dropped 2.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $57.01 and last traded at $58.93. Approximately 5,611,390 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 6,871,089 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.29.

Key Stories Impacting MP Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and an $85 price target, saying MP Materials may be largely insulated from the immediate operational impact of China’s export-control move. MP Materials seen largely insulated after China export-control move
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he prefers MP Materials over more speculative rare-earth peers, which may be adding some sentiment support for the stock. Jim Cramer Recommends MP Materials Over NioCorp
• Positive Sentiment: China’s restrictions also underscore MP Materials’ strategic importance in U.S. rare-earth supply chains, reinforcing the company’s geopolitical relevance. Why China’s Ban Gave a Boost to MP Materials and USA Rare Earth
• Neutral Sentiment: MP Materials presented at the J.P. Morgan Natural Resources Conference, but the transcript itself did not include a major new catalyst. MP Materials Corp. (MP) Presents at J.P. Morgan Natural Resources Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation-focused coverage suggests investors are debating whether MP Materials’ strong rally has already priced in a lot of future upside. MP Materials (MP) Stock After 65% One-Year Rally Is There Still Upside Potential
• Negative Sentiment: MP Materials’ cash flow improved in Q1 2026 but remained negative, with higher costs, downstream expansion spending, and weak rare-earth pricing still weighing on results. MP Materials’ Cash Flow Still Negative: Any Relief in Sight?
• Negative Sentiment: China’s export controls on MP Materials and other U.S. firms have raised fresh concerns about trade friction and possible disruption to rare-earth supply flows. MP Materials (MP) Faces Fresh China Export Controls As Rare Earth Focus Grows

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MP. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MP Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of MP Materials in a report on Thursday, May 21st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price target for the company. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of MP Materials from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MP Materials in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $80.14.

MP Materials Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $10.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -140.31 and a beta of 1.86. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 7.18 and a quick ratio of 6.58.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $90.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.82 million. MP Materials had a negative net margin of 28.00% and a negative return on equity of 2.27%. The business’s revenue was up 49.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.12) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that MP Materials Corp. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at MP Materials

In other news, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 109,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,176,275. This trade represents a 15.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James H. Litinsky sold 259,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $16,595,231.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,505,965 shares in the company, valued at $800,756,938.95. This represents a 2.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,205,167 shares of company stock valued at $79,371,654. 8.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MP Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PVG Asset Management Corp bought a new position in MP Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $1,030,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MP Materials by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of MP Materials by 102.5% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 16,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $816,000 after acquiring an additional 8,557 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC grew its stake in shares of MP Materials by 138.7% in the 1st quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC now owns 22,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 13,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BankChampaign National Association purchased a new stake in shares of MP Materials in the first quarter valued at about $477,000. 52.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.