Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX)

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 101,726 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 29% compared to the average daily volume of 78,989 call options.

Freeport-McMoRan Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock opened at $55.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 2.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $45.39 and a 200-day moving average of $43.77. Freeport-McMoRan has a 52-week low of $27.66 and a 52-week high of $57.12. The stock has a market cap of $79.77 billion, a PE ratio of 39.12, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.45.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Freeport-McMoRan will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Freeport-McMoRan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Freeport-McMoRan

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Procyon Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the fourth quarter valued at about $231,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Impact Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,755 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 5,183 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares during the period. IAM Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 218.7% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 3,190 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $162,000 after acquiring an additional 2,189 shares in the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Freeport-McMoRan News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America named Freeport‑McMoRan as one of its top North American mining picks for 2026, highlighting constructive commodity forecasts and selective valuation opportunities—supports investor interest in copper exposure. Agnico Eagle, Cameco and Freeport-McMoRan named as Bank of America’s top mining picks for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies expects FCX to report better‑than‑expected Q4 results (provisional Q4 disclosed), forecasting EPS outperformance driven by realized copper and gold prices—this underpins near‑term earnings upside. Freeport EPS expected to outperform as Grasberg ramp-up delayed
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and style‑score coverage (Zacks / MSN) profile FCX as a long‑term value/copper play, reinforcing buy‑side narratives around secular copper demand and relative valuation after recent momentum. Why Freeport‑McMoRan is a top value stock
• Positive Sentiment: Shares recently hit a 52‑week high, a technical sign of bullish momentum that can attract momentum traders and ETFs. Freeport McMoRan stock hits 52-week high
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity: a large spike in call‑option volume was recorded (101,726 calls), signaling speculative or hedged bullish interest but not confirming a directional catalyst. Options activity report
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation checks and momentum notes are circulating after recent gains—useful for positioning but not immediate drivers of fundamentals. Valuation check after recent share price momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or solicited lead‑plaintiff candidates in a securities‑fraud class action (lead‑plaintiff deadline Jan. 12, 2026). The wave of filings and publicity increases legal risk, potential settlement exposure and near‑term sentiment pressure. Kirby McInerney class action notice
• Negative Sentiment: Specific allegations from a Kuehn Law notice claim safety lapses at the Grasberg Block Cave mine and potential undisclosed regulatory, litigation and reputational risks—if substantiated, these allegations could lead to material liabilities or operational scrutiny. Kuehn Law Grasberg safety allegations
• Negative Sentiment: Cost headwinds: Zacks flagged a 24% jump in unit cash costs in Q3 (lower copper volumes) and warned of an even sharper cost increase in Q4—rising unit costs could compress margins and temper sentiment. Unit cash costs spike

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. HSBC reduced their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Johnson Rice reduced their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Clarkson Capital upgraded Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.49.

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.