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

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target on 3M to $170 from $160 while maintaining a "hold" rating, implying about 14.4% upside; the consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target near $169.82 (4 Buy / 6 Hold / 1 Sell).
• 3M beat Q1 EPS expectations, reporting $2.14 versus $1.98 and roughly $6.0B in revenue, and management reiterated FY‑2026 guidance of $8.50–$8.70 EPS while citing margin expansion and cost controls.
• Institutional ownership is high (~65.3%) after large purchases like SG Americas boosting its position to ~2.37M shares, while insider activity included CAO Theresa Reinseth selling 5,145 shares, leaving insiders with about 0.19% ownership.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $160.00 to $170.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "hold" rating on the conglomerate's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 14.36% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of 3M from $181.00 to $171.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of 3M in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of 3M from $205.00 to $186.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $182.00 price objective on shares of 3M in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of 3M from $134.00 to $133.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $169.82.

3M Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMM opened at $148.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $77.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's fifty day moving average is $154.27 and its 200-day moving average is $160.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.71. 3M has a 52 week low of $134.85 and a 52 week high of $177.41.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The conglomerate reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.04 billion. 3M had a net margin of 13.03% and a return on equity of 95.36%. 3M's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. 3M has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.500-8.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that 3M will post 8.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at 3M

In other news, CAO Theresa E. Reinseth sold 5,145 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $888,798.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,585 shares of the company's stock, valued at $446,558.75. The trade was a 66.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On 3M

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MMM. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of 3M by 653.6% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,369,879 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $344,178,000 after acquiring an additional 2,055,419 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in 3M during the fourth quarter valued at $65,009,000. Align Financial LLC bought a new position in 3M during the fourth quarter valued at $4,101,000. Allstate Corp increased its position in 3M by 107.1% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 41,212 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $6,598,000 after acquiring an additional 21,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas increased its position in 3M by 219.5% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 25,718 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $4,118,000 after acquiring an additional 17,669 shares during the last quarter. 65.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key 3M News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and guidance reiterated — 3M reported adjusted EPS of $2.14 vs. $1.98 consensus and kept FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance at $8.50–$8.70, supporting confidence in the outlook. 3M beats Q1 profit estimates on margin gains, maintains full-year outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion and cost controls driving profitability — adjusted operating margin and operating cash flow improved (operating margin ~23.2%; adjusted operating margin 23.8%), helping EPS rise ~14% YoY despite some one‑time items. 3M Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue mixed/in‑line — sales were roughly in line with expectations (~$6.0B; up ~1–4% YoY depending on the report) with organic growth modest; a slight miss vs some estimates tempers the beat. 3M NYSE: MMM Posts Q1 CY2026 Sales In Line With Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Segment/metric checkpoints — safety & industrial end markets showed strength, but some key metrics (organic sales, top‑line timing) warrant monitoring; management provided slide deck and call materials for detail. 3M's Q1 Earnings Top Estimates, Safety & Industrial Sales Increase Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market context — broader market moves (e.g., Iran peace‑talk headlines) are influencing session liquidity and may amplify stock moves unrelated to fundamentals. Markets Open Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst tightening — Citi trimmed its 3M price target from $175 to $166 ahead of Q1 (keeps Neutral rating), a reminder some analysts remain cautious on valuation and execution risks. Citigroup Lowers 3M (MMM) Price Target Ahead of Q1, Keeps Neutral Rating

About 3M

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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