CF vs. FCX: CF Industries vs. Freeport-McMoRan Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CF Industries (CF) 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

CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but CF is classified in Chemicals while FCX is classified in Metals & Mining.

Company profile comparison for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Profile Item	CF	FCX
Name	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.	Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals	Copper
Market Capitalization	17.46 billion USD	85.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 11, 2005	July 10, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FCX

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) 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 CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
Total Return (1Y)	49.36%	58.58%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.00%	24.99%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.09%	11.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FCX

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) 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 CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) has an aggressive beta of 1.37, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while CF Industries (CF) is defensive at 0.56 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.66%	48.40%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	1.37
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.36%	-51.26%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.49M	12.34M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CF 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 CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.03	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	1.61

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 30.86% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 15.72% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CF.

CF

Materials industry group

30.86%

Max: 52.88%
CF: 30.86%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 27.48% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 13.03%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CF

Materials industry group

27.48%

Max: 38.66%
CF: 27.48%
Q3: 15.98%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 34.36% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 35.26% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CF

Materials industry group

34.36%

Max: 66.70%
CF: 34.36%
Q3: 28.92%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
ROE (TTM)	30.86%	15.72%
ROA (TTM)	12.61%	7.99%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.48%	13.03%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.36%	35.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.52%	38.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 19.34% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 33.09% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 16.92% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.34%	1.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.12%	4.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)	33.09%	16.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-18.19%	-14.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 2.98 and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 2.02 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

CF

Materials industry group

2.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
CF: 2.98
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 0.41 and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 0.31 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CF

Materials industry group

0.41

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
CF: 0.41
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

CF Industries (CF) 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 CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.98	2.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.41	0.31
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.21	0.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 1.77% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.04% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CF

Materials industry group

1.77%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
CF: 1.77%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 14.81% 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.

CF

Materials industry group

14.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
CF: 14.81%
Median: 9.54%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.77%	1.04%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.81%	25.21%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 8.42 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 CF, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

CF

Materials industry group

8.42

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
CF: 8.42
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both CF Industries (CF) at 2.20 and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 3.23 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CF

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
CF: 2.20
Median: 1.87
Q1: 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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 3.10 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.

CF

Materials industry group

3.10

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
CF: 3.10
Median: 2.08
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	CF	FCX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.42	24.97
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	3.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.10	3.97
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.10%	2.19%