Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake in Freeport‑McMoRan by 1.2% in Q4, buying 1,572,769 shares to hold 130,332,957 shares (about 9.08% of the company) valued at roughly $6.62 billion.
• Operational mix: Freeport beat Q1 EPS estimates ($0.57 vs. $0.47) with revenue up ~8.8% YoY, but management cut 2026 copper sales guidance by roughly 300 million pounds after a slower Grasberg ramp, triggering analyst downgrades and sharp stock volatility (reports of ~10% intraday drops).
• Ownership and sentiment: Insiders sold 565,145 shares (~$35.8M) last quarter while institutions own ~80.8%; analysts are mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $65.57 target even as some firms raised targets (UBS $74, BNP Paribas $75) and others lowered ratings.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,332,957 shares of the natural resource company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,572,769 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.08% of Freeport-McMoRan worth $6,619,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 1,962.9% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 722 shares of the natural resource company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. grew its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 39.8% during the third quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 977 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and cash support — FCX reported stronger‑than‑expected Q1 results (EPS $0.57 vs. ~$0.47 est.) with revenue up ~8.7% YoY; management noted higher realized commodity prices and a ~$700M insurance payment that helped results. Freeport-McMoRan: Less Copper Supply Isn't All Bad
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — UBS raised its price target to $74 and kept a Buy rating, signaling upside based on commodity outlook and valuation. UBS Lifts Price Target on Freeport-McMoRan to $74
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/valuation debate — Several pieces question whether current share price already reflects copper optimism and the recent volatility; investors should weigh the outlook for copper prices vs. reduced volumes. Is Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Pricing Fully Reflects Recent Copper Optimism And Share Volatility
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials and call — The earnings presentation and transcript are available for review (useful for guidance detail, cost outlook and timing for Grasberg ramp). Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Grasberg production setbacks — Management cut 2026 copper sales guidance (roughly a 300M lb reduction cited) after a slower Grasberg ramp following last year’s incident; lower volumes directly pressure near‑term revenue and triggered the sell‑off. Freeport McMoRan falls as Grasberg delay cuts 2026 output outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and target cuts — Multiple firms trimmed targets or ratings (Morgan Stanley downgraded to Equal Weight and cut its PT; others cut targets or estimates), increasing near‑term selling pressure despite some boutiques still bullish. Morgan Stanley Downgrades Freeport-McMoRan Bernstein Adjusts Price Target on Freeport-McMoRan
• Negative Sentiment: Stock reaction — The market punished FCX on the combination of the production cut and uncertain Grasberg timing (reports of a ~10% intraday drop were published), showing sensitivity to volume risk even with strong commodity prices. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Stock Plunges 10% After Slashing Production Forecasts

Insider Activity

In other Freeport-McMoRan news, 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,917,475.70. This represents a 37.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.03, for a total value of $682,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 40,773 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,529,149.19. This trade represents a 21.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 565,145 shares of company stock valued at $35,839,918. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on FCX. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $56.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. CICC Research boosted their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $50.40 to $64.40 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.57.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock opened at $61.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.39. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.45 and a 52-week high of $70.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.48. The company's 50 day moving average price is $62.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.95.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.40 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The firm's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.24 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Freeport-McMoRan's dividend payout ratio is 15.96%.

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.

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