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How to buy 3M Company shares
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3M Company (MMM) is a leading specialty industrial machinery business based in the US. 3M Company is listed on the NYSE and employs 96,000 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.
How to buy shares in 3M Company
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: MMM in this case.
- Research 3M Company shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your 3M Company shares. It's that simple.
What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in 3M Company?
- Has coronavirus impacted 3M Company shares?
- 3M Company shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is 3M Company stock a buy or sell?
- Can I short 3M Company shares?
- Is 3M Company suitable for ethical investing?
- Are 3M Company shares over-valued?
- 3M Company's financials
- How volatile are 3M Company shares?
- Does 3M Company pay a dividend?
- Have 3M Company shares ever split?
- Other common questions
How has Coronavirus impacted 3M Company's share price?
Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, 3M Company's share price has had significant positive movement.
Its last market close was $158.1, which is 0.74% up on its pre-crash value of $156.93 and 38.64% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as $114.04.
If you had bought $1,000 worth of 3M Company shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth $753.19 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth $1,010.26.
3M Company share price
Use our graph to track the performance of MMM stocks over time.3M Company shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-08-03.
| 52-week range | $122.71 - $182.545 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | $156.6521 |
| 200-day moving average | $152.7265 |
| Wall St. target price | $162.87 |
| PE ratio | 17.2667 |
| Dividend yield | $5.88 (3.91%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | $8.813 |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
Is it a good time to buy 3M Company stock?
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Is 3M Company under- or over-valued?
Valuing 3M Company stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of 3M Company's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
3M Company's P/E ratio
3M Company's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 17x. In other words, 3M Company shares trade at around 17x recent earnings.
That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.
However, 3M Company's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the specialty industrial machinery industry or those of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 16.66
- Empresaria Group (EMR.LSE): 8.10
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 18.37
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 51.05
3M Company's PEG ratio
3M Company's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 5.5463. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into 3M Company's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
However, it's sensible to consider 3M Company's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 15.83
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 2.43
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 2.54
3M Company's EBITDA
3M Company's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is $8.5 billion (£6.5 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a 3M Company's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put 3M Company's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): USD$8.7 billion
- Empresaria Group (EMR.LSE): £11.5 million
- Honeywell International (HON.US): USD$7.9 billion
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): USD$4.7 billion
3M Company financials
| Revenue TTM | $31.4 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 21.3% |
| Gross profit TTM | $15.4 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 9.93% |
| Return on equity TTM | 48.81% |
| Profit margin | 16.38% |
| Book value | $18.848 |
| Market capitalisation | $86.7 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Shorting 3M Company shares
There are currently 6.5 million 3M Company shares held short by investors – that's known as 3M Company's "short interest". This figure is 6.8% up from 6.1 million last month.
There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting 3M Company shares can be evaluated.
3M Company's "short interest ratio" (SIR)
3M Company's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of 3M Company shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of 3M Company shares traded daily (recently around 2.6 million). 3M Company's SIR currently stands at 2.52. In other words for every 100,000 3M Company shares traded daily on the market, roughly 2520 shares are currently held short.
To gain some more context, you can compare 3M Company's short interest ratio against those of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 1.06
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 1.29
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 2.96
However 3M Company's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of 3M Company shares, or, against the total number of tradable 3M Company shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case 3M Company's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 3M Company shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.0113% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable 3M Company shares, roughly 11 shares are currently held short).
Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against 3M Company.
Find out more about how you can short 3M Company stock.
3M Company's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like 3M Company.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
3M Company's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 36.25
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and 3M Company's overall score of 36.25 (as at 07/01/2020) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 75th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like 3M Company is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
To gain some more context, you can compare 3M Company's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 49.84
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 41.42
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 32.72
3M Company's environmental score
Environmental score: 12.29/100
3M Company's environmental score of 12.29 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that 3M Company is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
3M Company's social score
Social score: 13.39/100
3M Company's social score of 13.39 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that 3M Company is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
3M Company's governance score
Governance score: 8.57/100
3M Company's governance score puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that 3M Company is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
3M Company's controversy score
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. 3M Company scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that 3M Company hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 3
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 3
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 2
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
3M Company was last rated for ESG on: 2020-07-01.
| Total ESG score | 36.25 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 74.56 |
| Environmental score | 12.29 |
| Environmental score percentile | 4 |
| Social score | 13.39 |
| Social score percentile | 4 |
| Governance score | 8.57 |
| Governance score percentile | 4 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
3M Company share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 66.06% of net profits
Recently 3M Company has paid out, on average, around 66.06% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 3.91% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), 3M Company shareholders could enjoy a 3.91% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In 3M Company's case, that would currently equate to about $5.88 per share.
3M Company's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.
3M Company's most recent dividend payout was on 12 June 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 21 May 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
3M Company's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 10.53%
- Empresaria Group (EMR.LSE): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 43.30%
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 17.68%
Have 3M Company's shares ever split?
3M Company's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 30 September 2003. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your 3M Company shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for 3M Company shares which in turn could have impacted 3M Company's share price.
3M Company share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, 3M Company's shares have ranged in value from as little as $122.71 up to $182.545. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while 3M Company's is 0.9905. This would suggest that 3M Company's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
To put 3M Company's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.
- General Electric Company (GE.US): 0.8967
- Empresaria Group (EMR.LSE): 1.4267
- Honeywell International (HON.US): 1.0622
- Danaher Corporation (DHR.US): 0.8527
3M Company overview
3M Company develops, manufactures, and markets various products worldwide. It operates through four business segments: Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, Health Care, and Consumer. The Safety and Industrial segment offers personal safety products, industrial adhesives and tapes, abrasives, closure and masking systems, electrical markets, automotive aftermarket, and roofing granules to industrial, electrical, and safety markets. The Transportation and Electronics provides electronics, such as display materials and systems, electronic materials solutions; automotive and aerospace, and commercial solutions; advanced materials; and transportation safety products to transportation and electronic original equipment manufacturer customers. The Health Care segment offers medical and surgical supplies, skin health and infection prevention products, oral care, separation and purification sciences, health information systems, drug delivery systems, and food safety products to healthcare industry. The Consumer segment provides home improvement, home care, and consumer health care products, as well as stationery and office supplies to various consumers. This segment is also involved in the retail auto care business. It offers its products through various e-commerce and traditional wholesalers, retailers, jobbers, distributors, and dealers, as well as directly to users. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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