MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of MP Materials (NYSE:MP) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MP Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on MP Materials from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MP Materials in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wedbush upped their price target on MP Materials from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $80.08.

MP Materials Stock Up 4.3%

MP opened at $64.42 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $58.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.17. The company has a quick ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 7.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $11.47 billion, a PE ratio of -153.37 and a beta of 1.90. MP Materials has a 52 week low of $18.64 and a 52 week high of $100.25.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $90.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.12) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 49.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MP Materials will post -0.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James H. Litinsky sold 177,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $11,540,254.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 12,205,965 shares in the company, valued at $794,974,500.45. This represents a 1.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 109,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,176,275. This trade represents a 15.50% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 666,000 shares of company stock worth $43,103,382 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MP Materials

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MP. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in MP Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in MP Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in MP Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Consulate Inc. grew its holdings in MP Materials by 555.3% during the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MP Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.55% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about MP Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage of MP Materials with a Buy rating and a $69 price target, reinforcing the broader bullish Wall Street view that has most analysts rating the stock a Buy. MP Stock Stays Perfect but Trading Has Been Strange Lately
• Positive Sentiment: MP’s COO, Michael Stuart Rosenthal, disclosed the purchase of 17,000 shares, a move investors often view as a confidence signal from management. Michael Stuart Rosenthal Buys 17,000 Shares of MP Materials (NYSE:MP) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Rare-earth stocks broadly rallied on funding news and fading China fears, which supported MP alongside peers, but the move also reflected sector volatility rather than a company-specific catalyst. Rare Earth Stocks Rally On Funding News, Fading China Fears
• Neutral Sentiment: MP’s latest earnings update showed strong revenue growth and a narrower operating loss, but the company remains unprofitable, keeping investors cautious about the pace of a turnaround. MP’s Operating Losses Continue in Q1: Can It Revert to Profitability?
• Negative Sentiment: A comparison piece argued that Idaho Strategic has the edge over MP Materials thanks to profitability, rising earnings, and a lower valuation, highlighting competitive and valuation concerns for MP. MP Materials vs. IDR: Which Mining Stock Has More Upside?

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.