Updating your Income stocks: 3M, Snap-On and Quaker Chemical

Article Excerpt

3M COMPANY $147 (www.3m.com) is a buy. It makes a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, including Post-it notes, Scotch tape, Scotch-Brite cleaning products, Scotchguard fabric protection and Thinsulate insulation. In the three months ended December 31, 2024, rose 2.2%, to $5.81 billion from $5.68 billion a year earlier. The higher sales are mainly due to rising demand for electronics used in vehicles and mobile phones. Excluding unusual items, earnings fell 1.2%, to $1.68 a share from $1.70, due to a higher tax rate. With the March 2025 payment, 3M will raise your quarterly dividend by 4.3%; the new annual rate of $2.92 a share yields 2.0%.  3M is a buy. SNAP-ON INC. $339 (www.snap-on.com) is still a hold. The company makes tools for auto mechanics and industrial customers. With the December 2024 payment, Snap-On raised your quarterly dividend by 15.1%; the new annual rate of $8.56 yields 2.5%. However, loan losses at the company’s financing division adds risk. Snap-On is a hold. QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP. $138 (www.quakerhoughton.com) remains a buy. The…