3M (MMM) Competitors

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) and 3M (NYSE:MMM) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, community ranking, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and risk.

Is DHR or MMM more profitable?

Danaher has a net margin of 16.33% compared to 3M's net margin of 15.71%. 3M's return on equity of 100.77% beat Danaher's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Danaher	16.33%	10.82%	6.90%
3M	15.71%	100.77%	9.84%

Which has more risk & volatility, DHR or MMM?

Danaher has a beta of 0.86, indicating that its stock price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, 3M has a beta of 1.01, indicating that its stock price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, DHR or MMM?

3M has higher revenue and earnings than Danaher. 3M is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Danaher, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Danaher	$23.82B	5.98	$3.90B	$5.15	38.67
3M	$24.51B	3.04	$4.17B	$7.92	17.47

Do analysts rate DHR or MMM?

Danaher currently has a consensus target price of $264.40, indicating a potential upside of 32.75%. 3M has a consensus target price of $147.00, indicating a potential upside of 6.24%. Given Danaher's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Danaher is more favorable than 3M.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Danaher	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	16 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80
3M	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.63

Do insiders and institutionals believe in DHR or MMM?

79.1% of Danaher shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.3% of 3M shares are held by institutional investors. 11.1% of Danaher shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of 3M shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor DHR or MMM?

Danaher received 152 more outperform votes than 3M when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 74.51% of users gave Danaher an outperform vote while only 59.34% of users gave 3M an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Danaher	Outperform Votes 1064 74.51%	Underperform Votes 364 25.49%
3M	Outperform Votes 912 59.34%	Underperform Votes 625 40.66%

Does the media refer more to DHR or MMM?

In the previous week, Danaher had 36 more articles in the media than 3M. MarketBeat recorded 74 mentions for Danaher and 38 mentions for 3M. 3M's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat Danaher's score of 0.70 indicating that 3M is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Danaher	34 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	8 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
3M	28 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is DHR or MMM a better dividend stock?

Danaher pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. 3M pays an annual dividend of $2.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Danaher pays out 24.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. 3M pays out 36.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Summary

Danaher beats 3M on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.