Freeport-McMoRan Inc. vs SOUTHERN COPPER CORPORATION, two Mining stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Copper's two flagships split by cost curve: Southern Copper's 58.3% operating margin against Freeport's 34.2%, the widest quality gap between two producers of one metal anywhere on these pages. Southern converts its position into a 42% return on equity, a 1.8% dividend, and a 28.5 times multiple; Freeport's trailing earnings are item-washed, leaving its $90B to lean on volume and leverage to the copper price. Southern carries 0.57 turns, Freeport 0.31. The pair prices the same commodity at two purities of execution: the low-cost aristocrat at a premium that assumes nothing goes wrong, the volume giant at a valuation that assumes the metal does the work. Copper bulls own both arguments; the margin table picks its favorite.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | FCX | SCCO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $62.31 | $171.42 |
| Market cap | $90.0B | $140.9B |
| Sector | Mining | Mining |
| Stage | Cyclical | Cyclical |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +23.0% | +26.6% |
| P/E | — | 28.5 |
| P/B | 2.86 | 11.88 |
| P/S | 3.40 | 9.68 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.2 | 16.2 |
| Revenue growth | +6.2% | +22.1% |
| Operating margin | 34.2% | 58.3% |
| Net margin | 17.9% | 34.2% |
| Return on equity | 15.1% | 42.0% |
| Return on assets | 8.1% | 22.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 14.0% | 33.7% |
| FCF yield | 1.9% | 3.0% |
| Dividend yield | 1.0% | 1.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.31 | 0.57 |
| Current ratio | 2.39 | 4.38 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.76 | 7.74 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.