Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings that sailed past Wall Street forecasts, proving that record-high metal prices can insulate the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer from even severe operational disruptions.
The Phoenix-based mining giant posted net income of $406 million, or $0.28 per share.
After adjusting for one-time charges—including $282 million primarily linked to a September mud-rush at the Grasberg district in Indonesia and legacy oil and gas impairments—adjusted earnings reached $0.47 per share.
This figure significantly outperformed the $0.28 consensus estimate.
Quarterly revenue hit $5.63 billion, comfortably beating the $5.18 billion projected by analysts.
The quarter was a study in price over volume.
While copper sales fell to 709 million pounds due to the Grasberg incident, average realized copper prices jumped to $5.33 per pound.
Gold also played a critical role in the beat, with sales of 80,000 ounces at favorable market rates helping to offset the 24% spike in unit net cash costs, which rose to $2.22 per pound.
"Our results reflect the resilience of our global team in navigating a complex quarter at Grasberg while maintaining steady execution across our Americas portfolio," said CEO Kathleen Quirk.