Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Has $36.68 Million Stock Holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX

Key Points

• Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC trimmed its stake in Freeport‑McMoRan by 4.5% to 722,091 shares, holding about $36.68 million and making FCX its 5th largest position.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — the CAO sold 29,654 shares and the CFO 48,500 shares, with insiders disposing of 565,145 shares worth $35.84 million over the last 90 days.
• Freeport‑McMoRan beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.47 vs. $0.28; revenue $5.63B vs. $5.42B), declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 (0.4% yield), and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a ~$66.26 target and roughly $101B market cap.

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC cut its position in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 722,091 shares of the natural resource company's stock after selling 33,973 shares during the quarter. Freeport-McMoRan accounts for about 3.7% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned about 0.05% of Freeport-McMoRan worth $36,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Leo Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 6,838 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,119 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $158,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 64,438 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $3,273,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank raised its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 49,059 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $2,492,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 8,377 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freeport-McMoRan

In related news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 29,654 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $1,868,202.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 76,445 shares in the company, valued at $4,816,035. This represents a 27.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,894 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,917,475.70. This represents a 37.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 565,145 shares of company stock worth $35,839,918 over the last 90 days. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

FCX stock opened at $70.26 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.58. The stock has a market cap of $100.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.48. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.45 and a 1 year high of $70.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $5.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.42 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.31 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on FCX shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup boosted their target price 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $70.00 to $66.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.26.

Key Headlines Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank boosted its price target to $72 and kept a Buy rating, and several retail-oriented pieces named FCX a top "beginner" stock — a positive catalyst from the sell-side that supports upside expectations ahead of Q1 results. Is Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) the Best Beginner Stock to Buy Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Copper tailwinds and project execution: recent coverage comparing FCX with BHP highlights that strong copper prices and available cash flow are enabling growth projects — a structural demand story that supports higher longer‑term valuation for miners like FCX. FCX vs. BHP: Which Copper Mining Giant Should You Invest in Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry comparison coverage (duplicate analysis in Zacks) reiterates the same positives for FCX vs. major peers but adds emphasis on capital discipline and project timelines — helpful context but not an immediate catalyst. FCX vs. BHP (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings previews expect Q1 results to show benefits from higher realized copper prices, but warn of cost and volume pressures that could temper the beat-or-miss risk around the report. This keeps the earnings event a key short-term volatility driver. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold FCX Stock Ahead of Q1 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank trimmed its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates slightly (now below consensus) and retained a Sector Perform rating with a ~$71 target — a modest downward revision that could cap near-term upside if other brokers follow suit. MarketBeat - FCX analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: General company profile pages (Barron's/company data) were updated but contain no new material company-specific news; useful for background but unlikely to move the stock. Barron's - Freeport-McMoRan

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FCX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.