RBF Capital LLC Sells 5,000 Shares of 3M (NYSE:MMM)

RBF Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of 3M (NYSE:MMM - Free Report) by 25.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,000 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. RBF Capital LLC's holdings in 3M were worth $1,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MGO One Seven LLC increased its holdings in shares of 3M by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 9,268 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the last quarter. Quantessence Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of 3M during the 4th quarter worth about $419,000. Alta Advisers Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of 3M by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 1,822 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $235,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the period. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. grew its stake in 3M by 71.3% in the 4th quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. now owns 422,230 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $54,506,000 after buying an additional 175,770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in 3M in the 4th quarter valued at about $71,000. 65.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MMM shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on 3M from $152.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 3M from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $140.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of 3M in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of 3M from $160.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of 3M from $175.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $147.00.

3M Price Performance

Shares of MMM traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $137.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,141,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,177,214. The company has a market capitalization of $74.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G 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. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $143.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.19. 3M has a 1-year low of $91.08 and a 1-year high of $156.35.

3M (NYSE:MMM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.11. 3M had a return on equity of 100.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The company had revenue of $5.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.78 billion. Analysts expect that 3M will post 7.8 EPS 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 paid a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from 3M's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. 3M's payout ratio is currently 38.68%.

Insider Activity at 3M

In other news, insider Rodriguez Beatriz Karin Chavez sold 1,645 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.25, for a total transaction of $247,161.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $774,238.25. This represents a 24.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Michael F. Roman sold 49,598 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.30, for a total value of $7,553,775.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 180,895 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,550,308.50. This represents a 21.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,736 shares of company stock worth $9,081,260 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% 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.