Key Points
- CAO Ellie Mikes sold 11,000 shares of Freeport-McMoRan at an average price of $62.03 on Feb. 18, netting about $682,330 and reducing her stake by 21.25% to 40,773 shares.
- Other senior insiders also disclosed sales this week — notably CFO Maree Robertson sold 48,500 shares — a pattern of disposals that some investors may view negatively even if routine.
- Despite the insider selling, Freeport beat expectations (EPS $0.47 vs. $0.28, revenue $5.63B), secured a Memorandum of Understanding to extend Grasberg operating rights, and received multiple analyst price-target upgrades supporting a "Moderate Buy" consensus.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX - Get Free Report) CAO Ellie Mikes sold 11,000 shares of Freeport-McMoRan stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.03, for a total transaction of $682,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 40,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,529,149.19. This trade represents a 21.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Freeport-McMoRan Trading Up 2.4%
NYSE:FCX opened at $62.56 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $56.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.31. The stock has a market cap of $89.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.66 and a 12 month high of $69.44.
Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $5.63 billion for 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%. Freeport-McMoRan's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.31 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.
Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRan's payout ratio is 19.87%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in 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 worth $1,431,326,000 after acquiring an additional 23,950,557 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 98.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,973,108 shares of the natural resource company's stock valued at $1,014,434,000 after buying an additional 9,924,573 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 31.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 37,353,852 shares of the natural resource company's stock worth $1,897,202,000 after purchasing an additional 8,891,743 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 89.4% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 17,569,169 shares of the natural resource company's stock worth $761,623,000 after acquiring an additional 8,292,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 102.5% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 14,211,579 shares of the natural resource company's stock worth $721,806,000 after buying an additional 7,192,955 shares during the period. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FCX. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Freeport-McMoRan from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $53.50 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $56.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $53.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.64.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on FCX
Key Stories Impacting Freeport-McMoRan
Here are the key news stories impacting Freeport-McMoRan this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company secured a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian government to amend PT Freeport Indonesia’s special mining business license (IUPK) for a life‑of‑resource extension of operating rights — this lowers regulatory tenure risk for Grasberg (a top global copper/gold asset) and strengthens Freeport’s long‑term production and cash‑flow outlook. FCX Announces Agreement for Life of Resource Extension of Operating Rights in Grasberg Minerals District
- Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on FCX to $76 (from $68) and maintained a Buy rating — a prominent broker upgrade that can attract flows and supports upside expectations versus the current market price. Jefferies adjusts Freeport McMoran PT to $76 from $68, maintains buy rating
- Negative Sentiment: Senior insiders disclosed stock sales this week: CFO Maree Robertson sold 48,500 shares (filed with the SEC) and CAO Ellie Mikes sold 11,000 shares — sizable disposals that may be viewed negatively by some investors even if they’re routine or for diversification. SEC filing — CFO sale SEC filing — CAO sale
- Negative Sentiment: Sector commentary highlights strong performance from peers (e.g., BHP) and increased copper demand — but also notes Freeport is still dealing with the aftermath of the 2025 Grasberg mudflow, which has limited near‑term production and may delay Freeport’s ability to fully benefit from a copper rally. (Market positioning and operational recovery timelines remain key risks.)
About Freeport-McMoRan
(
Get Free Report)
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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