Few things are more misleading than a blue-chip company under financial strain that keeps paying, and sometimes even raising its dividend. On the surface, it signals confidence. Underneath, it can mask deteriorating fundamentals. But just as cutting losses can be a healthy decision in investing, the same principle applies to companies reassessing their dividend strategy.
MMM posts higher Q2 earnings and margin gains despite rising costs, lifting its 2025 EPS outlook on productivity and reorganization efforts.
MMM stock is up 22.3% YTD, driven by strong segment growth and cost actions, but high debt and valuation weigh on near-term upside.
MMM's Transportation and Electronics unit posts 1% revenue growth in Q2 2025, fueled by aerospace and electronics gains despite market headwinds.
MMM's Safety and Industrial unit posts fifth straight quarter of growth, fueled by demand in safety and electrical markets.
3M's strong Q2 2025 results show robust sales, expanding margins, and impressive free cash flow conversion, supporting continued shareholder returns. The company has largely resolved major lawsuits, reducing legal overhang and positioning itself for future growth and stability. 3M's diversified business segments, especially safety and industrial, continue to deliver high margins and growth despite some weakness in consumer and electronics.
3M's sales remain flat, with no signs of a true turnaround, despite some resilience across business divisions and modest organic growth. Profitability has improved, but inventory and receivables increases raise concern about demand and cash flow, respectively. Full-year guidance indicates continued sluggish sales, and a slowdown in EPS and margin growth, while tariff headwinds are less severe than feared.
3M's correction after the double-beat FQ2'25 performance and the raised FY2025 adj EPS guidance implies a notable profit taking at recent heights. This is worsened by the uncertainties arising from the mixed macroeconomic environment, the ongoing tariff war, and the softer auto/consumer electronics end market. Even so, we believe that MMM remains highly compelling, as the management aims to drive renewed growth through strategic product launches in the semiconductor/aerospace end market.
3M Company (NYSE:MMM ) Q2 2025 Earnings Conference Call July 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET Company Participants Anurag Maheshwari - CFO & Executive VP Chinmay Trivedi - Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Financial Planning & Analysis William M. Brown - CEO & Chairman Conference Call Participants Amit Singh Mehrotra - UBS Investment Bank, Research Division Andrew Alec Kaplowitz - Citigroup Inc., Research Division Andrew Burris Obin - BofA Securities, Research Division Charles Stephen Tusa - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division Christopher M.
MMM tops Q2 estimates with 12% EPS growth and raises its 2025 outlook, supported by strength in Safety and Industrial.
I am downgrading 3M from 'Buy' to 'Hold' due to ongoing PFAS litigation risks, tariffs, and potential recession impacts limiting upside. While Q2 results beat expectations and guidance was raised, free cash flow remains weak and settlement costs are unpredictable. Management is optimistic, focusing on product launches and margin improvement, but recent financials still show a struggling company.
While the top- and bottom-line numbers for 3M (MMM) give a sense of how the business performed in the quarter ended June 2025, it could be worth looking at how some of its key metrics compare to Wall Street estimates and year-ago values.