Thursday, December 6, 2012

Investopedia: Freeport McMoRan Announces A Real Doozy

Shareholders of copper giant Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) had been waiting a while for the company to "do something," and they certainly got their wish on Wednesday, though almost certainly not in the fashion they were expecting. While many analysts and investors had been looking for Freeport-McMoRan to announce a big move with its capital, either a sizable buyback/special dividend or further diversification in mining, almost nobody expected the big move into energy that the company announced Wednesday morning.

Not only does the sheer size of the transactions make this a risky move for Freeport-McMoRan, but so too do the details. In buying Plains Exploration & Production (NYSE:PXP) and McMoRan Exploration (NYSE:MMR), Freeport is buying two companies that are not exactly non-controversial assets in their own right. Consequently, this looks like a pretty high-risk/high-reward transaction for this copper mining giant.

Please continue here:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Freeport-McMoRan-Announces-A-Real-Doozy-FCX-PXP-MMR-BP1206.aspx

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