On July 21, 3M rose 6.49% in regular trading, trading at $172.48/share, with turnover of $235 million. The rally was driven by the company's strong second-quarter earnings report released before market open.

3M reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $2.40, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $2.25 by 6.67% and representing an 11.1% year-over-year increase. Sales came in at $6.5 billion, up 2.4% year-over-year, also exceeding expectations of $6.405 billion. GAAP EPS surged 33% to $1.78, while operating cash flow reached $1 billion with adjusted free cash flow of $1.3 billion. The company simultaneously raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $8.80-$8.95, above the FactSet estimate of $8.74. The CFO attributed the guidance increase to strong sales momentum, productivity improvements, and effective capital allocation strategies.

Multiple tailwinds further supported sentiment: JPMorgan recently upgraded 3M from neutral to overweight with a $180 price target, while the company announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to deploy 3M expanded beam optical connectivity technology in Azure AI data center infrastructure. However, the CEO noted ongoing pressure in consumer electronics, automotive, and U.S. consumer spending.

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