SLT Holdings LLC Buys Shares of 16,550 MP Materials Corp. $MP

Key Points

• SLT Holdings LLC opened a new position in MP Materials during the fourth quarter, buying 16,550 shares worth about $836,000.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on MP Materials, with several firms reiterating Buy ratings and price targets around $80; the consensus rating is Buy.
• MP Materials posted a better-than-expected quarter, with $0.03 EPS and $90.65 million in revenue, but the company is still unprofitable and insiders have recently been selling shares.

SLT Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 16,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $836,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MP. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in MP Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Consulate Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in MP Materials by 75.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 642 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its stake in MP Materials by 106.2% during the 3rd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 635 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in MP Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 52.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MP Materials from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $82.00 target price on shares of MP Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $80.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 46,000 shares of MP Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $2,760,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 129,017 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,020. This trade represents a 26.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO James H. Litinsky sold 259,179 shares of MP Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total transaction of $16,595,231.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,505,965 shares in the company, valued at $800,756,938.95. This trade represents a 2.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 666,000 shares of company stock worth $43,103,382 in the last quarter. 8.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MP Materials Stock Down 0.1%

MP Materials stock opened at $64.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -153.37 and a beta of 1.90. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $58.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.18. The company has a current ratio of 7.18, a quick ratio of 6.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. MP Materials Corp. has a 1-year low of $18.64 and a 1-year high of $100.25.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $90.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.82 million. MP Materials had a negative net margin of 28.00% and a negative return on equity of 2.27%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 49.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.12) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that MP Materials Corp. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MP Materials News Summary

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?

MP Materials Company Profile

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.

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