AA vs. FCX: Alcoa vs. Freeport-McMoRan Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AA is classified under Aluminum while FCX falls under Copper.

Company profile comparison for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Profile Item	AA	FCX
Name	Alcoa Corporation	Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Aluminum	Copper
Market Capitalization	10.44 billion USD	85.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	July 10, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FCX

GSPC

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
Total Return (1Y)	12.55%	58.58%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.53%	24.99%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.46%	11.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FCX

GSPC

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.37%	48.40%
Beta (5Y)	1.80	1.37
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-75.46%	-51.26%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.61M	12.34M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AA and FCX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.16	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.23	1.61

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 20.58% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 15.72% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AA.

AA

Materials industry group

20.58%

Max: 52.88%
AA: 20.58%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

FCX

Materials industry group

15.72%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
FCX: 15.72%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 10.68% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 13.03% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AA

Materials industry group

10.68%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
AA: 10.68%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

FCX

Materials industry group

13.03%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
FCX: 13.03%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 35.26% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Alcoa (AA) at 16.01%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AA

Materials industry group

16.01%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
AA: 16.01%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

FCX

Materials industry group

35.26%

Max: 66.70%
FCX: 35.26%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
ROE (TTM)	20.58%	15.72%
ROA (TTM)	7.52%	7.99%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.68%	13.03%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.01%	35.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.76%	38.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcoa (AA) at 7.87% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.81% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Alcoa (AA) at 1,600.00% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 16.92%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.87%	1.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.01%	4.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)	1,600.00%	16.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-14.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 2.31 and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 2.02 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AA

Materials industry group

2.31

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AA: 2.31
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

FCX

Materials industry group

2.02

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
FCX: 2.02
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 0.58 and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 0.31 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AA

Materials industry group

0.58

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
AA: 0.58
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

FCX

Materials industry group

0.31

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
FCX: 0.31
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.31	2.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.58	0.31
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.14	0.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 1.04% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.04% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AA

Materials industry group

1.04%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
AA: 1.04%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FCX

Materials industry group

1.04%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
FCX: 1.04%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 6.96% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 25.21% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AA

Materials industry group

6.96%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
AA: 6.96%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FCX

Materials industry group

25.21%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
FCX: 25.21%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.04%	1.04%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	6.96%	25.21%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 6.88 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 24.97 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for AA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AA

Materials industry group

6.88

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
AA: 6.88
Min: 3.93

FCX

Materials industry group

24.97

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
FCX: 24.97
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 0.73 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 3.23 prices around its industry’s middle — AA costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AA

Materials industry group

0.73

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
AA: 0.73
Min: 0.00

FCX

Materials industry group

3.23

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
FCX: 3.23
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Alcoa (AA) at 1.27 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 3.97 carries an above-peer premium to book — FCX is pricier on assets.

AA

Materials industry group

1.27

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
AA: 1.27
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

FCX

Materials industry group

3.97

Max: 6.59
FCX: 3.97
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Alcoa (AA) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	AA	FCX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	6.88	24.97
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.73	3.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.27	3.97
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.80%	2.19%