Freeport-McMoRan Inc. FCX recorded net income (attributable to common stock) of $1.08 billion or 73 cents per share in second-quarter 2021 compared with the year-ago quarter’s $53 million or 3 cents per share.

Barring one-time items, adjusted earnings per share came in at 77 cents compared with the prior-year quarter’s 3 cents. The figure also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 73 cents.

Revenues surged 88.2% year over year to $5,748 million. The top-line figure, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5,852 million. The mining giant benefited from higher realized prices in the reported quarter.

FreeportMcMoRan Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

FreeportMcMoRan Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | FreeportMcMoRan Inc. Quote

Operational Update

Copper production climbed 19% year over year to 913 million pounds in the second quarter.

Consolidated sales from copper mines increased 22.4% year over year to 929 million pounds. The company sold 305,000 ounces of gold and 22 million pounds of molybdenum during the reported quarter.

Consolidated average unit net cash costs per pound of copper were $1.48 compared with the year-ago quarter’s $1.47 per pound.

Average realized price for copper was $4.34 per pound, up 70.2% year over year. Average realized price per ounce for gold increased 2.6% year over year to $1,794. Average realized price per pound for molybdenum was $13.11, up 24.5% year over year.

Financial Position

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of second quarter were $6,313 million compared with the year-earlier quarter’s $1,465 million. The company’s total debt was $9,695 million compared with the prior-year quarter’s $9,914 million.

Cash generated from operating activities came in at $3,470 million during the six-month period ended Jun 30, 2021 compared with the year-ago period’s $453 million.

Outlook

For 2021, Freeport anticipates consolidated sales volumes to be 3.85 billion pounds of copper.
The company expects gold sales volumes of 1.3 million ounces for 2021. It also estimates sales of 86 million pounds of molybdenum for this year.

For the third quarter, Freeport projects sales volumes to be 1.035 billion pounds of copper, 360,000 ounces of gold and 21 million pounds of molybdenum.

Price Performance

Freeport’s shares have rallied 161.2% in the past year compared with 89.7% rise of the industry.

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Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Freeport currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Commercial Metals Company CMC, Nucor Corporation NUE and Cabot Corporation CBT, each flaunting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Commercial Metals has a projected earnings growth rate of 21.9% for fiscal 2021. The company’s shares have rallied around 51.9% in a year’s time.

Nucor has a projected earnings growth rate of 259.9% for the current year. The company’s shares have soared around 130% over the past year.

Cabot has an expected earnings growth rate of around 126% for the current fiscal year. The company’s shares have surged 60% in the past year.

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