Natural Investments LLC Purchases Shares of 8,797 3M (NYSE:MMM)

Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of 3M (NYSE:MMM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,797 shares of the conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,135,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MMM. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of 3M by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 651 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of 3M during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $337,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 3M by 215.8% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 33,557 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $4,587,000 after acquiring an additional 22,932 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of 3M during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of 3M by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10,559 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,443,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. 65.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at 3M

In related news, CAO Theresa E. Reinseth sold 2,309 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.95, for a total transaction of $346,234.55. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Victoria Clarke sold 1,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.22, for a total value of $269,885.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,918.68. The trade was a 90.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 113,639 shares of company stock valued at $17,163,446. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $96.00 price objective on shares of 3M in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 3M from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America upped their price target on 3M from $175.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays upped their price target on 3M from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised 3M from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $184.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.13.

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3M Stock Performance

Shares of 3M stock opened at $147.74 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $145.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.53. The company has a market capitalization of $80.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86. 3M has a 52 week low of $81.23 and a 52 week high of $156.35.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The conglomerate reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.42 EPS. The business's revenue was down 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that 3M will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

3M Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is an increase from 3M's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. 3M's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.68%.

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.

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