Every 3M Investor Should Keep an Eye on These 3 Numbers
3M (NYSE: MMM) stock has had a wild ride. After years of litigation surrounding its multi-decade production of PFAS -- deemed "forever" chemicals that wreak havoc on the health of both exposed humans and ecosystems -- shares finally found a bottom last year. Over the past 12 months, 3M's share price has spiked by more than 50%. After a large settlement, much of 3M's business has stabilized, including many gauges of profitability. But the company isn't completely in the clear yet. In fact, there could be even more PFAS lawsuits to come. That's a problem given the numbers below.Last quarter, 3M's return on assets -- a metric that tracks how good the company is at making money from its assets -- jumped back toward historical levels. The same occurred with 3M's return on equity -- a metric that shows how good it is at generating profits for every dollar of shareholder equity. If you ignore the last few years of abnormal financial results, ROA for 3M has averaged just above 10% in recent years, with ROE hovering just below 30%.Continue reading
3M (NYSE: MMM) stock has had a wild ride. After years of litigation surrounding its multi-decade production of PFAS -- deemed "forever" chemicals that wreak havoc on the health of both exposed humans and ecosystems -- shares finally found a bottom last year. Over the past 12 months, 3M's share price has spiked by more than 50%.
After a large settlement, much of 3M's business has stabilized, including many gauges of profitability. But the company isn't completely in the clear yet. In fact, there could be even more PFAS lawsuits to come. That's a problem given the numbers below.
Last quarter, 3M's return on assets -- a metric that tracks how good the company is at making money from its assets -- jumped back toward historical levels. The same occurred with 3M's return on equity -- a metric that shows how good it is at generating profits for every dollar of shareholder equity. If you ignore the last few years of abnormal financial results, ROA for 3M has averaged just above 10% in recent years, with ROE hovering just below 30%.
