Sapient Capital LLC Boosts Stake in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX

Key Points

• Sapient Capital increased its Freeport-McMoRan stake by 2,236% in the second quarter, owning 144,530 shares worth approximately $9.1 million. Hedge funds and other institutions collectively hold 80.77% of FCX’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with one Strong Buy, 19 Buy and three Hold ratings. The stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $70.27.
• Freeport-McMoRan exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.74 in EPS versus the $0.62 consensus and $7.03 billion in revenue. However, revenue declined 7.3% year over year, while insiders sold 26,600 shares over the past 90 days.

Sapient Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX - Free Report) by 2,236.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,530 shares of the natural resource company's stock after acquiring an additional 138,343 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $9,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Atlas Brown Inc. boosted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 5.3% during the second quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 10,071 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $633,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the second quarter valued at about $88,000. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 7.4% in the second quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co now owns 12,020 shares of the natural resource company's stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Science Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 41.3% in the second quarter. Wealth Science Advisors LLC now owns 6,707 shares of the natural resource company's stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tactive Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 3.5% during the second quarter. Tactive Advisors LLC now owns 10,063 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $633,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FCX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Freeport-McMoRan from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freeport-McMoRan presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.27.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In related news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 14,277 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $992,251.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 54,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,795,951. This represents a 20.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 4,773 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $334,110.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 36,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,520,000. This represents a 11.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,600 shares of company stock valued at $1,802,012 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Freeport-McMoRan declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, equivalent to $0.30 annually and a yield of approximately 0.4%. The dividend provides a modest income component for shareholders. Freeport-McMoRan Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Market attention remains centered on FCX’s copper exposure, with demand expectations tied to electrification, power-grid investment, electric vehicles and data-center infrastructure. Copper and gold prices and outlooks remain important potential catalysts. Why Freeport-McMoRan Is Drawing Copper Attention
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened trader interest and potentially bullish speculation in FCX, though options positioning can also increase short-term volatility. Freeport-McMoRan Target of Unusually High Options Trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $2.52 from $2.43 and its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.85 from $0.75. However, the firm maintained its current-year consensus reference at $2.75, making the broader earnings signal mixed.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut several forward estimates, including Q3 and Q4 2026 EPS to $0.63 and $0.58, FY2027 EPS to $3.54 from $3.65, and FY2028 EPS to $3.52 from $3.82. The reductions may raise concerns about production, commodity-price or cost assumptions.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Ellie Mikes sold 4,773 shares for approximately $334,110, reducing her direct holdings by 11.71%. The sale is a modest negative sentiment signal, though it may reflect personal financial planning rather than weaker company fundamentals. Ellie Mikes Sells FCX Shares

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

Shares of FCX opened at $69.67 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company's fifty day moving average price is $64.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.88. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.15 and a 1-year high of $72.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.37.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a return on equity of 10.63% and a net margin of 11.39%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. Freeport-McMoRan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.78%.

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.

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