U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in 3M (NYSE:MMM)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in 3M (NYSE:MMM - Free Report) by 1,615.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 122,240 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 115,116 shares during the quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in 3M were worth $15,780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of 3M during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in 3M by 8.6% during the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 217,745 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 17,211 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 3M by 118.6% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 223 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of 3M by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of 3M by 2,466.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 308 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.25% of the company's stock.

3M Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MMM stock traded up $1.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $152.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,671,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,411,986. 3M has a fifty-two week low of $75.40 and a fifty-two week high of $155.00. The company's fifty day moving average is $135.98 and its 200 day moving average is $131.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The conglomerate reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.02. 3M had a return on equity of 100.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.77 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.42 EPS. 3M's revenue for the quarter was down 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that 3M will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

3M Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This is an increase from 3M's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. 3M's payout ratio is 37.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MMM shares. Barclays increased their target price on 3M from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $96.00 price objective on shares of 3M in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group raised shares of 3M from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $184.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of 3M from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of 3M from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $148.87.

Insider Activity at 3M

In other 3M news, Chairman Michael F. Roman sold 49,598 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.30, for a total value of $7,553,775.40. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 180,895 shares in the company, valued at $27,550,308.50. This trade represents a 21.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Victoria Clarke sold 1,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.22, for a total value of $269,885.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,918.68. This represents a 90.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 113,639 shares of company stock worth $17,163,446. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

About 3M

3M Company provides diversified technology services in the United States and internationally. The company's Safety and Industrial segment offers industrial abrasives and finishing for metalworking applications; autobody repair solutions; closure systems for personal hygiene products, masking, and packaging materials; electrical products and materials for construction and maintenance, power distribution, and electrical original equipment manufacturers; structural adhesives and tapes; respiratory, hearing, eye, and fall protection solutions; and natural and color-coated mineral granules for shingles.