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Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Q4 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates

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Freeport-McMoRan (FCX - Free Report) reported $5.76 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2022, representing a year-over-year decline of 6.6%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares to $0.96 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.34 billion, representing a surprise of +7.81%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +30%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.40.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Freeport-McMoRan performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

  • Total Net Cash Cost Per Pound of Copper: $1.53 compared to the $1.65 average estimate based on three analysts.
  • Sales in millions of pounds-Copper-Total North America: 338 Mlbs versus 348.62 Mlbs estimated by three analysts on average.
  • Production in millions of pounds-Molybdenum-By-product-North America: 7 Mlbs versus 6.49 Mlbs estimated by three analysts on average.
  • Total Revenues-Atlantic Copper Smelting & Refining [$M]: $683 million versus $564.44 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -2% change.
  • Total Revenues-South America copper mines [$M]: $1.36 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $1.06 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -4.2%.
  • Total Revenues-Indonesia [$M]: $2.25 billion versus $1.81 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +0.4% change.
  • Revenues (Reconciliation to Amounts Reported)- Corporate, other & eliminations: -$1.51 billion versus -$1.44 billion estimated by four analysts on average.
  • Total Revenues-Rod & Refining [$M]: $1.36 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1.57 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -18.8%.
  • Total Revenues-North America copper mines [$M]: $1.46 billion versus $1.33 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +26.2% change.
  • Total Revenues-Molybdenum [$M]: $166 million compared to the $197.27 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +23.9% year over year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Freeport-McMoRan here>>>

Shares of Freeport-McMoRan have returned +14.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.


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