3M (NYSE:MMM) Shares Bought by Natixis

Natixis grew its holdings in 3M (NYSE:MMM - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,039 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 2,592 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in 3M were worth $6,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Capital International Inc. CA lifted its holdings in shares of 3M by 109.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 50,888 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $6,569,000 after purchasing an additional 26,580 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of 3M by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 6,153,924 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $794,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,093 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of 3M by 34.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,133,190 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $275,375,000 after purchasing an additional 544,380 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in 3M by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 557,154 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $71,923,000 after purchasing an additional 32,952 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in 3M by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 3,170 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.25% of the company's stock.

3M Price Performance

Shares of MMM stock traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $136.06. The company had a trading volume of 4,651,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,182,208. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $143.82 and a 200-day moving average of $138.18. The company has a market capitalization of $73.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.41. 3M has a 12-month low of $90.65 and a 12-month high of $156.35.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $5.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.78 billion. 3M had a net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 100.77%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that 3M will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

3M Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from 3M's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. 3M's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on 3M from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of 3M from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $140.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of 3M from $160.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup dropped their target price on 3M from $152.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of 3M in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $147.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 3M news, CAO Theresa E. Reinseth sold 2,309 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.95, for a total transaction of $346,234.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $662,329.15. This trade represents a 34.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Michael F. Roman sold 45,276 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.01, for a total transaction of $6,791,852.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 175,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,359,457.18. This represents a 20.49 % decrease in their position. 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 0.34% of the company's stock.

3M Profile

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.