Stock fact sheet · data as of
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol FCX · Basic Materials · Copper · United States · Blend
Is FCX undervalued?
At 62.60 (close of 5 Nov 2026), FCX trades 85% over the GLS average fair value of 33.88, with 2 of 9 models above the price. The stock earns none of the Wheel Score's Value points at this price. That is a statement about price against trailing fundamentals, not about the company's prospects - the Wall Street View and the Growth tab on the Quote page carry the forward numbers.
There is a wide gap between DCF (0.3466) and 10 Cap (104.64). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for FCX, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 19, growth score 22, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for FCX
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 0.3466 | -99% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 27.97 | -55% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 38.54 | -38% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 9.56 | -85% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 6.99 | -89% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 104.64 | +67% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 81.51 | +30% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 8.83 | -86% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 26.54 | -58% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -9.47 | -115% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 74.00 | +18% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. scores 7 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, the nine yes/no tests of profitability, leverage and efficiency on the latest annual accounts - a strong reading that passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter with room to spare. On durability FCX scores 5.3/10 on the GLS Moat - a middle reading; the Moat Score tab on the Quote page's Financials view shows which of the four parts hold it back.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 7.2%, ROE 11.7%, ROA 3.8% - with debt at 0.61 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 6.8%.
The dividend yield is 0.96% with a payout ratio of 7% - a small yield that leaves most of the earnings in the business. Revenue comes mainly from Copper Cathode 40%, Refined Copper Products 23%, Copper In Concentrates 15% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 6/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 7 / 9 | ROIC | 7.2% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.3 / 10 | ROE | 11.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.61 | ROA | 3.8% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 6.8% | Payout ratio | 7% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 6 / 10 |
Wheel Score 47: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 47 Freeport-McMoRan Inc. sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 85% above our fair value; Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 49% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. The option chain is deep: 530,435 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.
Volume runs at 11.3M shares a day on a market cap of $90.0B, with a beta of 1.38 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that strong.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 85% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 85% above fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 49% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.3/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 7/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 100/100 | |
| Option trading | Strong | 18,120 contracts a day, 530,435 open interest | |
| Stability | Strong | beta 1.38, $90.0B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Copper
The 12 companies below are the closest to Freeport-McMoRan Inc. by market cap within the Copper industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCCO Southern Copper Corporation | 176.84 | 105.87 | -67% | 47Weak | $150.9B |
| TECK Teck Resources Limited | 64.46 | 59.24 | -9% | 41Weak | $31.2B |
| HBM Hudbay Minerals Inc. | 22.22 | 27.53 | +19% | 73Good | $9.9B |
| ERO Ero Copper Corp. | 30.82 | 81.57 | +62% | 84Good | $3.2B |
| TGB Trekor Metals Limited | 7.56 | 2.69 | -181% | 36Weak | $2.8B |
| IE Ivanhoe Electric Inc. | 7.76 | 0.6658 | -1066% | 20Weak | $1.2B |
| CAEN California-Engels Mining Company | 4.00 | 1.49 | -169% | 17No options | $3M |
| ECL Ecolab Inc. | 315.01 | 154.74 | -104% | 33Weak | $88.4B |
| SHW The Sherwin-Williams Company | 363.50 | 201.73 | -80% | 40Weak | $87.8B |
| AEM Agnico Eagle Mines Limited | 183.45 | 221.66 | +17% | 82Good | $92.7B |
| JCI Johnson Controls International plc | 140.53 | 89.10 | -58% | 45Weak | $85.1B |
| APD Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. | 318.87 | 175.07 | -82% | 31Weak | $71.0B |
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A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about FCX
Is FCX undervalued right now?
No: at 62.60 the stock trades 85% above the GLS average fair value of 33.88 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of FCX and what does it mean?
FCX scores 47 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filter 3. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for FCX?
33.88 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Freeport-McMoRan Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does FCX have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 488 listed contracts with 530,435 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 49% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.