Current Trade News Analysis on 3M

M (MMM) stated second-quarter earnings of $2.02 per share, an enhance of 5.8 percent as compared to the second quarter of 2014. Sales declined 5.5 percent year-on-year to $7.7 billion. Organic local-currency sales grew 1.8 percent and foreign currency translation reduced sales by 7.3 percent year-on-year.

Operating income was $1.8 billion and operating income margins for the quarter were 23.9 percent, up 1.1 percentage points year-on-year. Second-quarter net income was $1.3 billion and the company converted 74 percent of net income to free cash flow.

3M paid $646 million in cash dividends to shareholders and repurchased $1.7 billion of its own shares during the quarter.

Organic local-currency sales growth was 4.9 percent in Safety and Graphics, 3.4 percent in Health Care, 3.4 percent in Consumer and 1.4 percent in Industrial; Electronics and Energy declined 3.0 percent. On a geographic basis, organic local-currency sales grew 4.1 percent in the U.S., 0.8 percent in Latin America/Canada, 0.5 percent in Asia Pacific, and 0.4 percent in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

3M Company operates as a diversified technology company worldwide. Its Industrial segment offers tapes; coated, non-woven, and bonded abrasives; adhesives; ceramics; sealants; specialty materials; filtration products; closure systems for personal hygiene products; acoustic systems products; automotive components; abrasion-resistant films; structural adhesives; and paint finishing and detailing products.