Every Thursday we bring you our best U.S. stock picks. You get our specific recommendation on the top stocks we profile, with a full explanation of how we arrived at our opinion. You will read about stocks making moves you should know about, from coverage in our newsletter on U.S. investing, Wall Street Stock Forecaster.
3M COMPANY (New York symbol MMM; www.3m.com) started up in 1902, when it was called the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company.
It now makes over 55,000 different products, including pressure-sensitive masking and packaging tape, air purifiers, medical device components and reflective highway signs. Top brands include Post-it notes, Scotch tape, Scotch-Brite cleaning products, Scotchguard protection and Thinsulate insulation.
3M’s wide variety of products cuts its reliance on a single industry or customer. Sales from outside the U.S. account for two-thirds of its total.
Because the company’s product base is so broad, its results tend to track the overall global economy. As the world rebounded from the 2008/2009 recession, 3M’s sales jumped 33.5%, from $23.1 billion in 2009 to $30.9 billion in 2013.
Earnings gained 45.9%, from $3.2 billion in 2009 to $4.7 billion in 2013. Per-share earnings rose at a faster rate of 48.7%, from $4.52 to $6.72, on fewer shares outstanding.
Penny Stocks: A Special Report
Today we release the updated version of our popular report on penny stocks. Many investors have downloaded the earlier versions of Canadian Penny Stocks: What You Need to Know about Handling the Risks and Reaping the Rewards. With this report you get a guide to finding the “hidden gems” in penny stocks, 3 critical warning signs that many investors miss, 7 keys to profits in penny stocks…and much more.
3M’s strong balance sheet continues to support expansion
Part of 3M’s growth comes from acquisitions, which tend to enhance its expertise in certain fields. Examples include Ceradyne, a maker of strong, temperature-resistant ceramics, which 3M bought for $798 million in November 2012.
3M recently paid $855 million for the remaining 25% of its Japanese joint venture with Sumitomo Electric Industries. This business was formed in 1961 and makes over 30,000 products, mainly for Asian markets. Owning 100% of it will add $0.08 a share to 3M’s annual earnings.
Another key to 3M’s growth is its ability to develop innovative products. It spent 5.5% of its sales on research in the latest quarter, but it plans to raise that to 6.0% by 2017. This should help 3M meet its goal of raising its sales by 4% to 6% a year to 2017.
The company’s strong balance sheet continues to support its expansion. As of June 30, 2014, its long-term debt was $5.3 billion, or a low 6% of its market cap. It also held cash of $3.0 billion, or $4.64 a share.
3M recently announced that it would buy back up to $12 billion worth of shares. There is no time limit for these purchases. These buybacks will help increase the company’s likely 2014 earnings by 11.3%, to $7.48 a share
The stock trades at 18.6 times its 2014 earnings estimate. That seems high for a cyclical manufacturing firm, but 3M is a leader in most of its markets. That means it can charge higher prices, particularly for new products that face little competition.
In addition, 3M has raised its dividend each year for the past 56 years. The current annual rate of $3.42 yields 2.5%.
3M is a buy recommendation of our advisory on U.S. investing, Wall Street Stock Forecaster.
Tomorrow we examine the prospects of a stock that is the largest mortgage company in Canada outside the banks.
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Every Thursday we bring you our best U.S. stock picks. You get our specific recommendation on the top stocks we profile, with a full explanation of how we arrived at our opinion. You will read about stocks making moves you should know about, from coverage in our newsletter on U.S. investing, Wall Street Stock Forecaster. 
