When deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock, investors often rely on analyst recommendations. Media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts often influence a stock's price, but are they really important?Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.Freeport-McMoRan currently has an average brokerage reco ...