3M (NYSE:MMM) Shares Down 7.5% – What’s Next?

3M Company (NYSE:MMM) shares were down 7.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $154.52 and last traded at $155.2170. Approximately 3,174,555 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 3,069,368 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.80.

Key Stories Impacting 3M

Here are the key news stories impacting 3M this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted EPS beat and margin improvement — 3M posted adjusted EPS of $1.83 (above the $1.80 street estimate) and reported a significant improvement in adjusted operating margins and year‑over‑year adjusted EPS growth, signalling better profitability execution. 3M’s Q4 Earnings Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash flow and capital returns — Q4 adjusted free cash flow (~$1.3B) and active buybacks (about $900M in the quarter) support share repurchases and dividend restoration over time. 3M Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: CEO endorsement and long‑term view — Public praise from commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) and bullish long‑term commentary highlight confidence in management’s turnaround plan. Jim Cramer on 3M’s CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 guidance roughly in line but lacks excitement — FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.50–8.70 (midpoint ~8.60) and revenue guidance near $25.3B sit close to consensus, giving the market little upside catalyst. Company Guidance (press materials)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed segment and regional performance — Industrial/Industrial-adjacent businesses showed strength while Transportation and Consumer lagged; this unevenness makes near‑term organic growth uneven. Segment Divergence Detail
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slight miss and investor disappointment — Reported revenue was a touch below some estimates (and GAAP sales/operating margin dynamics showed pressure), prompting a selloff as investors focused on the modest growth trajectory and lack of new catalysts. 3M tops Q4 estimates but 2026 outlook sends shares lower
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction — Analysts and market commentary flagged the guidance as underwhelming relative to expectations, which drove high‑volume selling despite the EPS beat. Expect near‑term volatility as investors digest segment-level details and guidance cadence. 3M Stock Sinks as Profit Forecast Disappoints

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut 3M from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $199.00 to $178.00 in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of 3M from $176.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of 3M in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $182.00 target price on shares of 3M in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $160.00 price target on shares of 3M and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, 3M presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $175.80.

3M Trading Down 6.8%

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $166.12 and a 200-day moving average of $159.62. The company has a market capitalization of $83.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.54.

3M (NYSE:MMM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. 3M had a net margin of 13.70% and a return on equity of 98.47%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. 3M has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.50-8.700 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that 3M Company will post 7.8 EPS for the current year.

3M Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. 3M’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.65%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Zoe L. Dickson sold 13,826 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.78, for a total value of $2,347,378.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,046,184.36. The trade was a 69.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark W. Murphy sold 19,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.55, for a total transaction of $3,174,609.55. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,098,230.70. The trade was a 74.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 46,516 shares of company stock worth $7,836,465 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GFG Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of 3M in the second quarter worth about $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in 3M during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in 3M by 77.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 243 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in 3M in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of 3M during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Institutional investors own 65.25% of the company’s stock.

3M Company Profile

3M Company, originally founded in 1902 as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is a diversified global technology and manufacturing firm headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. Over its history the company has expanded from mineral mining into a broad portfolio of industrial, safety, healthcare and consumer products, building a reputation for applied science and product innovation across many end markets.

3M’s businesses span a wide range of product categories including adhesives and tapes, abrasives, filtration and separation technologies, personal protective equipment such as respirators, medical and dental products, industrial and automotive solutions, and a suite of consumer brands (for example, well-known office and home products).