3M Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:MMM)

3M Company (NYSE:MMM) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 24,152 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 159% compared to the average daily volume of 9,310 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MMM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on 3M from $123.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on 3M in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on 3M from $192.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on 3M from $190.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on 3M from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $181.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Karin Chavez sold 3,635 shares of 3M stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.51, for a total transaction of $663,423.85. Following the transaction, the insider owned 14,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,561,527.85. The trade was a 20.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 3M

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in 3M by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,828,966 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $4,505,788,000 after purchasing an additional 105,222 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in 3M by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,536,148 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $734,448,000 after buying an additional 1,819,178 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of 3M by 7.4% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,935,534 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $637,202,000 after buying an additional 270,458 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 3M by 653.6% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,369,879 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $344,178,000 after buying an additional 2,055,419 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of 3M by 3.6% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,401,543 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $226,924,000 after buying an additional 48,167 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.25% of the company’s stock.

3M Trading Up 6.0%

Shares of 3M stock traded up $9.66 on Tuesday, hitting $171.68. 3,890,408 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,669,437. The company has a market capitalization of $88.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $169.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.91. 3M has a one year low of $139.34 and a one year high of $184.90.

3M (NYSE:MMM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.61 billion. 3M had a return on equity of 115.87% and a net margin of 11.90%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.19 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that 3M will post 8.97 earnings per share for the current year.

3M Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. 3M’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.42%.

Trending Headlines about 3M

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and improved profitability: Third-quarter adjusted EPS rose 12% year over year to $2.50, exceeding the $2.38 consensus estimate. GAAP EPS was $2.63, while operating margin expanded to 23.7% from 22.2% a year earlier. Sales reached approximately $6.6 billion, broadly matching expectations, with adjusted organic growth of 3.3%. 3M Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance raised again: 3M lifted its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $9.10–$9.15, marking the third consecutive quarterly increase. Management cited operating performance, cost controls and pricing actions, reinforcing the view that CEO Bill Brown’s turnaround efforts are gaining traction. 3M lifts annual profit forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Amazon data-center opportunity: 3M expanded its commercial relationship with an Amazon subsidiary, highlighting demand for its optical-connectivity and other data-center products. The agreement gives investors an additional exposure to the AI infrastructure and hyperscale data-center buildout. Why 3M Stock Jumped Today
• Neutral Sentiment: 3M also announced a collaboration and planned minority investment involving Taiwan-based Genius Electronic Optical to advance expanded-beam optical manufacturing. The move could support long-term data-center growth, but near-term financial benefits remain uncertain. 3M announces collaboration with GSEO
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon received a warrant to purchase roughly $521.4 million of 3M stock, with vesting tied largely to future data-center purchases. While the warrant aligns Amazon’s incentives and validates demand, eventual share issuance could dilute existing shareholders. 3M expands Amazon data center partnership

About 3M

3M is a diversified technology and manufacturing company headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1902 as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, it developed from a mining venture into a global enterprise known for applying materials science and engineering to a broad range of industrial, commercial and consumer applications.

The company develops and manufactures products including adhesives, abrasives, filtration systems, personal protective equipment, medical and dental supplies, electrical and electronic materials, automotive components, reflective materials and workplace safety solutions.