3M (MMM) Competitors

3M (NYSE:MMM) and General Electric (NYSE:GE) are both large-cap multi-sector conglomerates companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, media sentiment and community ranking.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in MMM or GE?

65.3% of 3M shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.8% of General Electric shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of 3M shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of General Electric shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer MMM or GE?

In the previous week, General Electric had 20 more articles in the media than 3M. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for General Electric and 19 mentions for 3M. 3M's average media sentiment score of 1.42 beat General Electric's score of 1.02 indicating that 3M is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
3M	15 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
General Electric	27 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, MMM or GE?

3M has a beta of 0.95, indicating that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, General Electric has a beta of 1.19, indicating that its share price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is MMM or GE a better dividend stock?

3M pays an annual dividend of $2.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. General Electric pays an annual dividend of $1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. 3M pays out 35.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. General Electric pays out 19.7% 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.

Is MMM or GE more profitable?

3M has a net margin of 15.37% compared to General Electric's net margin of 11.48%. 3M's return on equity of 104.66% beat General Electric's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
3M	15.37%	104.66%	10.18%
General Electric	11.48%	18.93%	3.20%

Does the MarketBeat Community believe in MMM or GE?

General Electric received 1222 more outperform votes than 3M when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 75.35% of users gave General Electric an outperform vote while only 59.62% of users gave 3M an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
3M	Outperform Votes 902 59.62%	Underperform Votes 611 40.38%
General Electric	Outperform Votes 2124 75.35%	Underperform Votes 695 24.65%

Do analysts rate MMM or GE?

3M presently has a consensus price target of $144.87, suggesting a potential upside of 13.02%. General Electric has a consensus price target of $200.93, suggesting a potential upside of 13.17%. Given General Electric's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe General Electric is more favorable than 3M.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
3M	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.56
General Electric	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.93

Which has better earnings and valuation, MMM or GE?

General Electric has higher revenue and earnings than 3M. 3M is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than General Electric, 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
3M	$32.68B	2.14	-$7.00B	$7.92	16.18
General Electric	$69.95B	2.75	$9.48B	$5.69	31.20

Summary

General Electric beats 3M on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.