FCX vs. VALE: Freeport-McMoRan vs. Vale Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE) 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

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

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) trades as ordinary local shares, while Vale (VALE) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Profile Item	FCX	VALE
Name	Freeport-McMoRan Inc.	Vale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/Region	United States	Brazil
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Copper	Steel
Market Capitalization	85.33 billion USD	49.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	July 10, 1995	March 21, 2002
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FCX

VALE

GSPC

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) vs. Vale (VALE), 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
Total Return (1Y)	58.58%	6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.99%	3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.32%	8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FCX

VALE

GSPC

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) vs. Vale (VALE), 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE). 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 Vale (VALE) is defensive at 0.48 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	48.40%	33.88%
Beta (5Y)	1.37	0.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.26%	-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	12.34M	32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FCX and VALE 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.12	0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.61	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 15.72% and Vale (VALE) at 0.26% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FCX

Materials industry group

15.72%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.26%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
VALE: 0.26%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 13.03% and Vale (VALE) at 1.01% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

FCX

Materials industry group

13.03%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.01%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
VALE: 1.01%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE) at 19.31%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FCX

Materials industry group

35.26%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
VALE: 19.31%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
ROE (TTM)	15.72%	0.26%
ROA (TTM)	7.99%	6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	13.03%	1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	35.26%	19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.86%	32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.81% and Vale (VALE) at 0.91% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 16.92% and Vale (VALE) at -61.81% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.81%	0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.39%	-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	16.92%	-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.00%	-48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 2.02 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vale (VALE) at 1.10 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VALE.

FCX

Materials industry group

2.02

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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.10

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
VALE: 1.10
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 0.31 and Vale (VALE) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

FCX

Materials industry group

0.31

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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.55

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
VALE: 0.55
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.02	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.31	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.60	1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.04% pays an industry-typical yield; Vale (VALE) at 49.02% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

FCX

Materials industry group

1.04%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

49.02%

VALE: 49.02%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 526.96%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) reports 25.21%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FCX

Materials industry group

25.21%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

526.96%

VALE: 526.96%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.04%	49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.21%	526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 24.97 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Vale (VALE) at 72.44 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for VALE’s trailing earnings.

FCX

Materials industry group

24.97

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

VALE

Materials industry group

72.44

VALE: 72.44
Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) at 0.23 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 3.23 prices around its industry’s middle — VALE costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

FCX

Materials industry group

3.23

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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.23

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
VALE: 0.23
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Vale (VALE) 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.

FCX

Materials industry group

3.97

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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.27

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	FCX	VALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	24.97	72.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.23	0.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.97	1.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.19%	17.51%