KBC Group NV Increases Position in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 49.0% in Q4 to 221,838 shares, valued at about $11.27 million.
• Freeport-McMoRan posted a Q4 earnings beat ($0.47 EPS vs. $0.28 expected) and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.075 (annualized $0.30, ~0.4% yield).
• Institutions own a majority of the stock (~80.77%) with Wellington Management holding ~36.5M shares, even as insiders have sold heavily — 565,145 shares worth about $35.8 million in the past 90 days.

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX - Free Report) by 49.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 221,838 shares of the natural resource company's stock after acquiring an additional 73,002 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $11,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,551,258 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $60,840,000 after acquiring an additional 115,285 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments grew its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 278.4% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 46,157 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $1,810,000 after buying an additional 33,959 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 383,488 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $15,213,000 after buying an additional 20,586 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 190.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 36,494,793 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $1,431,326,000 after buying an additional 23,950,557 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,066,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.77% of the company's stock.

Freeport-McMoRan News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings outlook: Analysts and research notes see the company positioned to deliver an earnings beat in the upcoming report, citing the right combination of revenue and cost factors that support higher guidance and potential upside to consensus estimates. This improves near-term fundamentals sentiment for FCX. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Market action: The stock moved higher in the latest session versus the broader market, reflecting investor buying interest alongside elevated volume — a near-term technical tailwind that reinforces momentum-driven inflows. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling noted: Reports show executives sold shares while the stock rallied past the $69 level. Insider sales can be interpreted many ways (portfolio diversification, taxes, or signaling), so investors should monitor the size, timing and reason disclosures before changing positions. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Stock Soars Past $69 While Executives Unload Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cut: Scotiabank trimmed its price target to $71, which is mildly negative because it reduces some analyst-driven upside and could cap momentum if other firms follow. This raises some valuation risk even as fundamentals look supportive. Scotiabank Lowers Freeport-McMoRan NYSE: FCX Price Target to $71.00

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

Shares of FCX stock opened at $70.11 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $62.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 2.29. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a one year low of $32.12 and a one year high of $70.71. The firm has a market cap of $100.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.48.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.19. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The firm had revenue of $5.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.31 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. Freeport-McMoRan's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.87%.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In other news, EVP Douglas N. Currault II sold 75,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.52, for a total value of $4,839,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 219,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,141,558.12. This represents a 25.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Maree E. Robertson sold 48,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.55, for a total transaction of $2,985,175.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,917,475.70. This represents a 37.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 565,145 shares of company stock worth $35,839,918. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on FCX shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $58.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Argus raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Freeport-McMoRan from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $53.50 to $54.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $64.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.26.

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.

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