Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) by 49.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 221,838 shares of the natural resource company’s stock after buying an additional 73,002 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $11,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cottage Street Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC now owns 30,680 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $1,558,000 after buying an additional 7,480 shares in the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $299,000. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 392,418 shares of the natural resource company’s stock worth $19,931,000 after buying an additional 8,930 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Bingham Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $466,000. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Freeport-McMoRan

In related news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 29,654 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $1,868,202.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 76,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,816,035. This trade represents a 27.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Douglas N. Currault II sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.52, for a total transaction of $4,839,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 219,181 shares in the company, valued at $14,141,558.12. This trade represents a 25.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 565,145 shares of company stock worth $35,839,918. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Freeport-McMoRan Trading Up 2.7%

NYSE FCX opened at $70.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $62.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.95. The company has a market capitalization of $100.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.48. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.12 and a 12 month high of $70.71.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The natural resource company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $5.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The company’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on FCX shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $52.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.26.

Key Stories Impacting Freeport-McMoRan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings outlook: Analysts and research notes see the company positioned to deliver an earnings beat in the upcoming report, citing the right combination of revenue and cost factors that support higher guidance and potential upside to consensus estimates. This improves near-term fundamentals sentiment for FCX. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Market action: The stock moved higher in the latest session versus the broader market, reflecting investor buying interest alongside elevated volume — a near-term technical tailwind that reinforces momentum-driven inflows. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling noted: Reports show executives sold shares while the stock rallied past the $69 level. Insider sales can be interpreted many ways (portfolio diversification, taxes, or signaling), so investors should monitor the size, timing and reason disclosures before changing positions. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Stock Soars Past $69 While Executives Unload Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cut: Scotiabank trimmed its price target to $71, which is mildly negative because it reduces some analyst-driven upside and could cap momentum if other firms follow. This raises some valuation risk even as fundamentals look supportive. Scotiabank Lowers Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) Price Target to $71.00

About Freeport-McMoRan

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.