Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for Freeport-McMoRan

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report issued on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the natural resource company will post earnings of $1.49 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $1.51. The consensus estimate for Freeport-McMoRan’s current full-year earnings is $1.68 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Freeport-McMoRan’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.42 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.39 EPS.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on FCX. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Monday, December 15th. CICC Research decreased their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $51.60 to $42.30 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.49.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

NYSE:FCX opened at $51.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Freeport-McMoRan has a one year low of $27.66 and a one year high of $52.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $43.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.03. The stock has a market cap of $74.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.59, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.49.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. Freeport-McMoRan had a return on equity of 7.84% and a net margin of 7.97%.The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. Freeport-McMoRan’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,807 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 2,882 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 9,616 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 38.4% during the 1st quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 14,378 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 3,986 shares in the last quarter. ICONIQ Capital LLC bought a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the 1st quarter valued at $303,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp boosted its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 5.1% in the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 72,460 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $2,743,000 after purchasing an additional 3,496 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total transaction of $456,201.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total value of $1,364,019.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,053,059.06. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.13%.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo kept an Overweight rating on FCX, supporting buy-side sentiment and underpinning demand for the shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: FCX is slated to pay a $0.15 dividend, which can attract income investors and support the share price ahead of the ex‑date. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Shares have tracked a multi‑session winning streak (reported eight straight sessions of gains), creating momentum that can draw technical buyers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets note FCX is advancing copper expansions and has strong liquidity, but also flag rising unit costs and lower volume guidance — an ambiguous fundamental mix that can limit upside until clarity on volumes/costs arrives. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/analyst coverage and Q4 preview pieces are circulating (research predictions and “trending stock” writeups); these can amplify short‑term volatility but don’t change fundamentals by themselves. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or are soliciting lead‑plaintiff roles in a securities class action against Freeport covering Feb. 15, 2022–Sept. 24, 2025; the lead‑plaintiff deadline is Jan. 12, 2026 — increased litigation risk and potential liability that can weigh on the stock. Bronstein Article Faruqi Article Rosen Article PR Newswire
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~35% in December to ~28.0M shares (≈2.0% of float), indicating rising bearish bets that can pressure the stock or increase volatility if positions are covered rapidly. (Short‑interest ratio ~1.7 days.)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed Q4 and FY EPS estimates slightly, signaling some analyst downside to near‑term earnings expectations — a headwind for valuation. Article Title

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.