MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Hits New 12-Month Low on Analyst Downgrade

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP) hit a new 52-week low on Friday after Barclays lowered their price target on the stock from $69.00 to $65.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. MP Materials traded as low as $43.82 and last traded at $44.6680, with a volume of 743785 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.46.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on MP. Citigroup restated a “positive” rating on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of MP Materials from $70.00 to $71.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of MP Materials from $70.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of MP Materials from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $79.25.

Insider Activity at MP Materials

In related news, COO Michael Stuart Rosenthal bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $54.30 per share, for a total transaction of $543,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 136,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,418,574.60. This represents a 7.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James H. Litinsky sold 185,167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.14, for a total transaction of $12,802,446.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,620,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $803,461,973.72. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 1,164,346 shares of company stock worth $76,757,068 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

MP Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and brokerage coverage remain constructive overall, with MP Materials receiving an average “Buy” recommendation from brokerages and Barclays keeping an overweight rating despite trimming its price target to $65 from $69. MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent reports say MP’s reshoring strategy is gaining policy backing and downstream traction, supporting the long-term rare earth buildout thesis. MP Materials and the U.S. Rare Earth Push are Starting to Align
• Neutral Sentiment: MP Materials announced it will release second-quarter 2026 results after market close on August 6, followed by a conference call and webcast. This is a routine earnings-date announcement, but it puts investors on watch for the next catalyst. MP Materials Announces Date for Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around MP’s stock says its operating gains and strong liquidity support the rare earth buildout, but the company still faces execution risk, unfinished project ramps, and customer/cost uncertainty. Is MP Stock a Buy Now or Too Pricey for Its Execution Risks?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are focused on MP’s premium valuation and the risk that the company’s rare earth scale-up takes longer or costs more than expected, which is likely weighing on the shares. Is MP Stock a Buy Now or Too Pricey for Its Execution Risks?

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MP Materials

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. EMC Capital Management purchased a new position in MP Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in MP Materials during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in MP Materials during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Consulate Inc. grew its holdings in MP Materials by 555.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MP Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.55% of the company’s stock.

MP Materials Trading Down 0.4%

The firm has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of -107.85 and a beta of 1.86. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $58.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.23. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.04. MP Materials had a negative return on equity of 2.27% and a negative net margin of 28.00%.The business had revenue of $90.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.12) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 49.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that MP Materials Corp. will post 0.04 EPS for the current year.

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.