3M Gears Up to Report Q3 Earnings: Is a Beat in the Offing?

3M Company MMM is scheduled to release third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 21, before market open.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MMM’s third-quarter revenues is pegged at $6.25 billion, indicating a decline of 0.7% from the prior-year quarter’s figure. The consensus mark for earnings is pinned at $2.10 per share, which has edged up 1% in the past 60 days. The figure indicates growth of 6.1% from the year-ago quarter's figure.The company delivered better-than-expected results in each of the trailing four quarters, the earnings surprise being 4.4% on average. In the last reported quarter, its earnings of $2.16 per share beat the consensus estimate of $2.01 by 7.5%.Let’s see how things have shaped up for 3M this earnings season.Factors to Note Ahead of MMM’s Q3 Results3M’s Safety and Industrial segment’s results are expected to benefit from strength across personal safety, roofing granules, industrial adhesives & tapes, abrasives and electrical markets. Stable demand for electrical infrastructure products like cable accessories and insulation tapes, along with industrial and electronics bonding solutions, is likely to have been a tailwind as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segment’s third-quarter revenues is pegged at $2.90 billion, indicating approximately a 4.7% increase from the year-ago number.Growth in demand for MMM’s home improvement and home care products is likely to have been favorable for its Consumer segment. However, persistent weakness in the packaging expression business is likely to have partially offset the strength. Our estimate for revenues from the Consumer segment is pegged at $1.31 billion, indicating an increase of 0.8% year over year.Solid electronics demand, backed by an increase in production volume by electronics original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers, is likely to have supported 3M‘s Transportation and Electronics segment’s performance. However, prolonged weakness in the automotive electrification market, due to a decline in automotive OEM build rates, is likely to have dragged its top line. We expect the segment’s revenues to decline 28.5% from the year-ago quarter to $1.98 billion.Over time, MMM’s performance has been negatively impacted by high costs and expenses.  The company’s solid investments in research and development (R&D) are also expected to have pushed up its operating expenses.Nevertheless, 3M has been undertaking structural reorganization actions that include streamlining geographic footprint, simplifying the supply chain and optimizing manufacturing operations. These actions are expected to have supported margins in the to-be-reported quarter.3M Company Price and EPS Surprise 3M Company price-eps-surprise | 3M Company QuoteEarnings WhispersOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for MMM this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is the case here, as elaborated below.Earnings ESP: MMM has an Earnings ESP of +1.27% as the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $2.13 per share, which is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.10. You can uncover the best stocks before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: MMM currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Other Stocks to ConsiderHere are some other companies, which according to our model, have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings in this reporting cycle.Honeywell International Inc. HON has an Earnings ESP of +0.65% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present. The company is slated to release third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 23.Honeywell’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 7%.ITT Inc. ITT has an Earnings ESP of +0.72% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. The company is scheduled to release third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 29.ITT’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, the average surprise being 1.5%.Howmet Aerospace Inc. HWM has an Earnings ESP of +0.30% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present. The company is slated to release third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 30.Howmet Aerospace’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 7.1%.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Honeywell International Inc. (HON): Free Stock Analysis Report 3M Company (MMM): Free Stock Analysis Report ITT Inc. (ITT): Free Stock Analysis Report Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks