Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Stake in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX

Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 173,593 shares of the natural resource company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,180 shares during the period. Freeport-McMoRan makes up 0.7% of Inspire Investing LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $6,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 89.4% in the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 17,569,169 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $761,623,000 after buying an additional 8,292,873 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 28.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 27,635,497 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $1,046,280,000 after acquiring an additional 6,054,537 shares during the last quarter. Crake Asset Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 2,140.8% in the 1st quarter. Crake Asset Management LLP now owns 5,929,623 shares of the natural resource company’s stock valued at $224,496,000 after acquiring an additional 5,665,000 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $159,147,000. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 289.0% during the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 3,844,504 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $150,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,856,302 shares during the period. 80.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on FCX. Wall Street Zen cut Freeport-McMoRan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $58.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.49.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total transaction of $456,201.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at $1,847,349.26. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total transaction of $1,364,019.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,053,059.06. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated an overweight rating and lifted its price target to $55, signaling stronger buy-side conviction and supporting upside expectations for FCX. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights robust copper prices and a recent 27% monthly rally that underpin earnings and valuation re-assessment — a tailwind for Freeport’s revenue and margins if prices persist. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting copper near $12,000/ton strengthens the commodity outlook for Freeport, supporting longer-term cash flow for its large copper expansions. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Research notes and roundups (Zacks and others) explain why investors might retain FCX — highlighting strong liquidity and growth plans but also warning rising unit costs; useful context but mixed for near-term price action. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews and Q4 prediction roundups summarize expectations ahead of earnings — useful for positioning but not a direct catalyst until results. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~35% in December to ~28.0M shares (≈2% of shares outstanding), signaling increased bearish positioning that can pressure the stock if sentiment turns. (Short-interest ratio ~1.7 days based on average volume.)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities-class-action notices and lead-plaintiff solicitations (several law firms) add legal overhang and potential liability — a clear downside risk until resolved. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks and other research teams have trimmed Q4 and near-term FY EPS estimates, indicating analysts expect some near-term margin/volume pressure; lowered estimates are a potential headwind for short-term stock performance.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

Shares of FCX opened at $51.96 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.59, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.97. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.66 and a twelve month high of $52.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.74 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. Freeport-McMoRan’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

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

Freeport-McMoRan 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.