May 25, 2023
Top 10 Stock Freeport-McMoRan Sell Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: Freeport-McMoRan – Top 10 Stock in Copper Mining and Production


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Freeport-McMoRan is listed as a top 10 stock on May 25, 2023 in the market index Copper because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company enjoys a positive professional investor sentiment, but all financial facts speak against a stock purchase. This is likely an investment into the future. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 24 (24% performer), Obermatt issues an overall sell recommendation for Freeport-McMoRan on May 25, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country USA
Industry Copper
Index Copper, Low Waste, Recycling, SDG 12, SDG 3, SDG 5, S&P 500
Size class XX-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° Assessment Freeport-McMoRan Sell

360 METRICS May 25, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 24 (better than 24% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Freeport-McMoRan are critical, mostly below average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Freeport-McMoRan. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 68, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 68% of alternative investment opportunities. But all other ranks are below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a rank of 34, which means that the share price of Freeport-McMoRan is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 13, meaning that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. This means that growth is lower than for 13% of competitors in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 46 which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 54% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a 360° View of 24, Freeport-McMoRan is worse than 76% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. This means that Freeport-McMoRan shares are on the riskier side for investors. As only the professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 68) is above-average, and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below peers, the stock investing proposition case is rather weak. The stock price is expensive for a company of this size in this industry, visible in the below-average Value Rank. Growth is below the competition based on the Growth Rank, and the company has more debt than other companies, according to the Safety Rank. So the question becomes: How important is the Sentiment Rank when all others are below average? When it comes to growth, the low rating might be justified if growth is expected in the future and not yet reflected in current performance. This is often the case for companies with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In the early phases, these companies are expensive compared with their size and may have a lot of debt on their books, as is the case here, as seen in the low Value and Safety Ranks. Future growth may be the strongest investment rationale in this case, which is only reflected by institutional investors' opinions. You pay more than the market average for this stock and invest in a rather debt-loaded enterprise, but it may be worth it if the future of Freeport-McMoRaṇ is bright. A small investment might be justified, but proceed with caution. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Freeport-McMoRan positive

SENTIMENT METRICS May 25, 2023
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 68 (better than 68% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Freeport-McMoRan is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Freeport-McMoRan. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 50 (better than 50% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 65, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Freeport-McMoRan. The Professional Investors rank is 53, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 53% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 82 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 82% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 68 (more positive than 68% compared with investment alternatives), Freeport-McMoRan has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Freeport-McMoRan stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more



Value Strategy: Freeport-McMoRan Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS May 25, 2023
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 34 (worse than 66% compared with alternatives), Freeport-McMoRan shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Freeport-McMoRan. Price-to-Sales is 43 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 57% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Freeport-McMoRan's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 15, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Freeport-McMoRan. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 49 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 53% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 34, is a HOLD recommendation based on Freeport-McMoRan's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Freeport-McMoRan? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Freeport-McMoRan? It's risky, and even if it continues to grow because of popular demand, it will most likely return to what it's worth. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is reasonable for the company to dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Freeport-McMoRan may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Freeport-McMoRan Growth Momentum negative

GROWTH METRICS May 25, 2023
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), Freeport-McMoRan shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for Freeport-McMoRan. Sales Growth has a rank of 29, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 71% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 27, and Capital Growth with 40. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 43, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 57% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 13, is a SELL recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's prospects, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Freeport-McMoRan Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS May 25, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 46 (better than 46% compared with alternatives), the company Freeport-McMoRan has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Freeport-McMoRan is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for Freeport-McMoRan. Refinancing is at 57, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 57% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 58, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 58% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 28, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with alternatives), Freeport-McMoRan has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Freeport-McMoRan could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Freeport-McMoRan Lowest Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE May 25, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Freeport-McMoRan (Copper, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Freeport-McMoRan are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Obermatt Value Rank of 34 (worse than 66% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 46), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: An Obermatt Combined Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on Freeport-McMoRan's financial characteristics. As the company Freeport-McMoRan's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 34), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 46), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more

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