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3M (MMM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

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3M (MMM - Free Report) closed at $98.61 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.15% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.15%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.36%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.17%.

The the stock of maker of Post-it notes, industrial coatings and ceramics has risen by 3.28% in the past month, lagging the Conglomerates sector's gain of 3.6% and overreaching the S&P 500's gain of 3.2%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of 3M in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.71, reflecting a 21.2% decrease from the same quarter last year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $5.91 billion, indicating a 29.05% downward movement from the same quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $7.23 per share and a revenue of $24.58 billion, demonstrating changes of -21.75% and -24.8%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for 3M should also be noted by investors. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. 3M is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

In terms of valuation, 3M is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 13.8. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 19.69.

Investors should also note that MMM has a PEG ratio of 1.84 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Diversified Operations was holding an average PEG ratio of 2.08 at yesterday's closing price.

The Diversified Operations industry is part of the Conglomerates sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 70, positioning it in the top 28% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.


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