Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for 3M (NYSE:MMM) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies cut its price target on 3M from $180 to $160 and maintained a Hold rating, implying roughly a 9.8% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but averages to a Hold with a consensus price target of $172.64 (four Buy, six Hold, one Sell); shares trade near $145.67, below the consensus target and recent moving averages.
• 3M slightly beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.83 vs. $1.80) while revenue was a touch light, and management set FY2026 guidance of $8.50–$8.70 EPS versus analysts' expectations around $7.8 EPS.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $180.00 to $160.00 in a research report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the conglomerate's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price points to a potential upside of 9.84% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on shares of 3M from $196.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on 3M from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on 3M from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on 3M from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of 3M from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $172.64.

3M Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MMM traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $145.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 964,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,169,557. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $157.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.01. 3M has a 52 week low of $121.98 and a 52 week high of $177.41. The company has a market capitalization of $76.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. 3M had a return on equity of 95.36% and a net margin of 13.03%.The company had revenue of $6 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. 3M's revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. 3M has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.50-8.700 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that 3M will post 7.8 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at 3M

In other 3M news, CAO Theresa E. Reinseth sold 5,145 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $888,798.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,585 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $446,558.75. This represents a 66.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 3M

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PeakShares LLC purchased a new stake in 3M in the 4th quarter worth approximately $947,000. Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in 3M in the fourth quarter valued at $415,000. Bayban purchased a new position in 3M in the fourth quarter valued at $1,853,000. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 3M by 35.5% in the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,512 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in 3M during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,454,000. Hedge funds and other 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).

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