Ero Copper Corp. (ERO) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This upgrade is essentially a reflection of an upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the syste ...

Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.Even ...

Upgrades - Argus upgraded BHP Group (BHP) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $68, citing firming prices for iron ore, copper, and coal as the global economy improves [1] Downgrades - Jefferies downgraded Mereo BioPharma (MREO) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $0.50, down from $7, due to Setrusumab missing primary endpoints in trials [2] - RBC Capital downgraded DigitalBridge (DBRG) to Sector Perform from Outperform with a price target of $16, down from $23, following SoftBank's acquisition announcement at $16 per share [3] Initiations - Stephens initiated coverage of Commvault (CVLT) with an Overweight rating and a $162 price target, highlighting its evolution in data protection and transition to Software-as-a-Service [4] - Stephens initiated coverage of Rubrik (RBRK) with an Overweight rating and a $105 price target, noting its attractive growth outlook in data protection and data security [4] - Stephens initiated coverage of Varonis (VRNS) with an Equal Weight rating and a $40 price target, emphasizing its growth potential in data security as a Software-as-a-Service platform [4] - Freedom Capital initiated coverage of Ero Copper (ERO) with a Buy rating and a $32 price target, citing its high-grade, low-cost asset portfolio in Brazil [4] - H.C. Wainwright initiated coverage of Terra Innovatum (NKLR) with a Buy rating and a $25 price target, believing its use of off-the-shelf components will reduce regulatory barriers [4]

Upgrades - Argus upgraded BHP Group (BHP) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $68, citing firming prices for iron ore, copper, and coal as the global economy improves [2] Downgrades - Jefferies downgraded Mereo BioPharma (MREO) to Hold from Buy with a price target of 50 cents, down from $7, due to Setrusumab missing primary endpoints in trials, impacting Mereo's future strategy [3] - RBC Capital downgraded DigitalBridge (DBRG) to Sector Perform from Outperform with a price target of $16, down from $23, following SoftBank's acquisition announcement at $16 per share, totaling a $4 billion enterprise value [4] Initiations - Stephens initiated coverage of Commvault (CVLT) with an Overweight rating and a $162 price target, highlighting its leadership in data protection and transition to Software-as-a-Service [5] - Stephens initiated coverage of Rubrik (RBRK) with an Overweight rating and a $105 price target, noting its strong growth outlook in data protection and expected margin expansion [5] - Stephens initiated coverage of Varonis (VRNS) with an Equal Weight rating and a $40 price target, emphasizing its growth potential in data security as a Software-as-a-Service platform [5] - Freedom Capital initiated coverage of Ero Copper (ERO) with a Buy rating and a $32 price target, pointing out its high-grade, low-cost assets in Brazil [5] - H.C. Wainwright initiated coverage of Terra Innovatum (NKLR) with a Buy rating and a $25 price target, believing its use of off-the-shelf components will lower regulatory and technological barriers [5]

Group 1 - Zijin Mining (02899) rose nearly 3% after announcing the completion of the main construction and core equipment installation for the second phase of the Xizang Julong Copper Mine, marking a key step before production [1] - Asia Pacific Satellite (01045) increased over 5.4%, with a cumulative rise of nearly 30% over the past five trading days, as it operates multiple satellites under China Satcom [1] - Zhaoyan New Drug (06127) fell over 6% following an announcement that its actual controller plans to reduce holdings by up to 14.98 million shares, representing 20.0466% of his holdings and 1.99873% of the company's total share capital [1] - Zhongwei New Materials (02579) surged nearly 7% after signing a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Xinwanda for solid-state batteries [1] Group 2 - Dongyue Group (00189) rose nearly 5% as the long-term contract prices for refrigerants were confirmed, with R32 priced at 61,200 yuan/ton (+1,000 yuan) and R410A at 55,100 yuan/ton (+1,900 yuan) [2] - MicroPort Scientific Corporation (02252) increased over 1.2%, reporting that its core products' cumulative order volume exceeded 230 units [2] - Oil stocks saw gains, with CNOOC (00883) up 4.17%, PetroChina (00857) up 2.91%, and Sinopec (00386) up 1.31%, driven by a rise in international crude oil prices due to geopolitical tensions [2] - Baidu Group (09888) rose nearly 7% after announcing a partnership with Uber and Lyft to launch a robotaxi pilot project in the UK by 2026 [2] Group 3 - NIO (09866) rose over 2.4% after announcing that it successfully delivered over 40,000 units of its new ES8 model within 100 days of the official delivery start [3] - Damai Entertainment (01060) increased nearly 5%, with the total box office for the 2025 New Year’s season reaching 5.245 billion yuan as of December 28 [3] Group 4 - Copper mining stocks collectively declined, with Hudbay Minerals (HBM.US) down 4.01%, Taseko Mines (TGB.US) down 3.1%, and Ero Copper (ERO.US) down 1.64%, as international copper futures fell over 4% [5] - Some cryptocurrency-related stocks fell, with IREN Ltd (IREN.US) down 2.21% and Circle (CRCL.US) down 0.94% [5] - NIO (NIO.US) rose 4.71% in the US market, echoing its performance in Hong Kong [6] - The Nasdaq Golden Dragon Index fell nearly 1%, with major Chinese concept stocks declining, including Alibaba (BABA.US) down 2.46% and Xpeng Motors (XPEV.US) down 1.35% [6]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ero Copper Corp. (TSX: ERO, NYSE: ERO) ("Ero" or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the filing of its Technical Report for the Xavantina Operations related to the update on its National Instrument 43-101 compliant mineral reserve and resource estimate previously announced on November 4, 2025. The Technical Report was prepared in accordance with the Canadian Securities Administrator’s National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mi ...

Core Insights - Ero Copper Corp. is a mining company focused on copper production in Brazil, known for its efficient operations and competitive positioning in the market [1] - The company has received mixed ratings from analysts, with some upgrades and downgrades affecting its stock performance [4] Stock Performance - Ero Copper recently reached a new 52-week high, with shares trading as high as C$34.50 and closing at C$34.36, a significant increase from the previous close of C$33.97 [3] - The stock is currently trading on the NYSE at $25.31, reflecting a 0.72% increase, with a trading volume of 515,930 shares [5][6] - Over the past year, Ero Copper has fluctuated between a high of $26.77 and a low of $9.30 [5] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - CIBC adjusted its rating for Ero Copper to Neutral and raised the price target from C$37 to C$42, indicating a positive outlook for the company's future performance [2][6] - Scotiabank upgraded Ero Copper from a "hold" to an "outperform" rating, raising their price target from C$33.00 to C$36.00 [3] - National Bankshares increased their price objective from C$27.00 to C$35.00, while Desjardins lowered their target price from C$25.00 to C$23.00 [4]

Group 1 - Nasdaq leads the market as stocks open higher, with gold and silver prices rising, benefiting mining and gold stocks [1] - Enova International (ENVA) and Ero Copper (ERO) reached record highs, identified by IBD's Screen Of The Day for their strong relative strength [1] - Ero Copper reported a significant 156% increase in profits last quarter, leading to a key rating upgrade and an improvement in its relative strength rating to 79 [4] Group 2 - Enova International achieved a composite rating improvement to 96, meeting over 80 relative strength rating benchmarks [4] - The stock market is showing multifaceted strength with new highs, raising questions about which sectors can outperform industry leaders [4]

Core Insights - Ero Copper has seen significant changes in institutional ownership, with several large investors increasing their stakes in the company, indicating growing confidence in its prospects [1][7] - Analysts have mixed ratings on Ero Copper, with some upgrading their ratings while others have downgraded, reflecting differing views on the company's future performance [2] - The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed a miss on both earnings per share and revenue compared to analyst expectations, which may raise concerns among investors [4] Institutional Ownership - GMT Capital Corp increased its stake by 22.9%, owning 6,931,025 shares valued at $83.94 million after acquiring 1,292,100 shares [1] - Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position by 119.3%, now holding 1,628,030 shares worth $27.52 million after buying 885,630 shares [1] - TD Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake by 56.2%, owning 1,460,342 shares valued at $24.62 million after acquiring 525,252 shares [1] - Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake worth approximately $6.69 million [1] - Sprott Inc. increased its holdings by 64.3%, now owning 748,185 shares valued at $9.07 million after acquiring 292,896 shares [1] - Hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own 71.30% of Ero Copper's stock [1] Analyst Ratings - Weiss Ratings maintained a "hold (c)" rating on Ero Copper [2] - Wall Street Zen upgraded Ero Copper from "hold" to "buy" [2] - Goldman Sachs raised the price target from $18.50 to $25.00 and assigned a "buy" rating [2] - Stifel Canada downgraded Ero Copper from "strong-buy" to "hold" [2] - Zacks Research downgraded the stock from "strong-buy" to "hold" [2] - The average rating is "Hold" with a consensus target price of $25.00 [2] Stock Performance - Ero Copper shares opened at $25.25, with a market cap of $2.62 billion [3] - The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.80, and a current ratio of 1.05 [3] - The stock has a one-year low of $9.30 and a high of $25.78, with a 50-day moving average of $21.47 and a 200-day moving average of $17.18 [3] - The P/E ratio stands at 18.43, and the stock has a beta of 1.25 [3] Earnings Report - Ero Copper reported earnings of $0.27 per share, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.09 [4] - The company generated revenue of $177.10 million, significantly below the analyst estimates of $309.30 million [4] - Ero Copper had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 26.63% [4] - Analysts predict an EPS of 0.71 for the current year [4] Company Overview - Ero Copper Corp. is engaged in the exploration, development, and production of mining projects in Brazil, focusing on copper concentrate production from the Caraíba operations [5]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 2025 reached $177 million, a $14 million increase compared to Q2, driven by a 24% increase in copper concentrate sales at Tucumã and stronger copper and gold prices [17] - Adjusted EBITDA totaled $77.1 million in Q3, with adjusted net income attributable to owners of the company at $27.9 million, or $0.27 per share [17] - Liquidity position at quarter end was $111 million, including $66.3 million in cash and cash equivalents [18] - Net debt leverage ratio improved to 1.9 times at the end of Q3, down from 2.1 times in Q2 and 2.5 times at the end of 2022 [18] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated copper production set a record in Q3, with significant contributions from Tucumã, which saw a nearly 20% increase for the second consecutive quarter [10] - At Caraíba, plant throughput levels reached a quarterly volume record, with a decline in grade as expected due to a strategic shift in ore sourcing [11] - Tucumã's production increased by 19% in Q3, driven by a ramp-up in throughput, while Xavantina's production rose by approximately 17% due to mechanization efforts [12][13] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company expects to sell between 10,000 and 15,000 tons of gold concentrate during Q4 2025, with operating costs estimated at approximately $300-$500 per ounce of gold [5] - The average quarterly production of gold at Xavantina was 7,000 ounces in the first half of the year, with a production of nearly 7,000 ounces in October alone [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on deleveraging its balance sheet and expects to accelerate this process through gold concentrate sales [6][18] - A significant emphasis is placed on operational excellence, health and safety, and optimizing production across all operations [9][10] - The company is also advancing long-term growth initiatives at Furnas, with ongoing drilling and technical work to support future development [15][52] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the ongoing transformation and improvements across operations, with expectations for Q4 to be the strongest production quarter of the year [10][12] - The company is addressing inflationary pressures in Brazil through various initiatives, including foreign exchange hedging [22][24] - Management highlighted the importance of mechanization and operational improvements in driving productivity and safety [41][46] Other Important Information - The company has commenced shipping gold concentrate, resulting in its first invoice, and expects to continue this momentum into Q4 [5][19] - A foreign exchange hedge program was in place with a total notional position of $290 million, resulting in a realized gain of $2 million [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: On Xavantina, regarding the remaining 80% of the gold concentrate that has not been sampled yet, what assumptions can be made? - Management indicated that while excitement exists about the potential volume, it is too early to provide specific estimates for the remaining concentrate [20][21] Question: Have there been any significant labor contractor inflation pressures in Brazil? - Management acknowledged inflationary pressures in Brazil but noted efforts to mitigate these through longer-term contracts and hedging strategies [22][24] Question: What is the timeline for sampling the remaining gold concentrate stockpile? - Management stated that the focus is on selling the current volume before continuing sampling, with updates expected quarterly [33][34] Question: How is the company addressing the tailings filtration circuit at Tucumã? - Management confirmed ongoing improvements and the addition of a mobile filter press to enhance capacity [36][37] Question: What are the expectations for mining rates and grades at Xavantina moving into next year? - Management highlighted significant increases in mining rates and grades due to mechanization, with expectations for continued high performance [41][44]