3M lifts annual profit forecast on cost controls, price hikes

Oct 20 — Industrial conglomerate 3M lifted its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday after ​cost-control initiatives and higher prices supported margins, while its safety and industrial business remained resilient.

The company now expects ‌full-year adjusted profit per share of between $9.10 and $9.15, compared with its prior forecast ⁠of $8.80 to $8.95.

Shares of the company ​were up 2.7% before the ⁠bell.

Robust industrial activity in the US as well as ‌growing sales of chipmaking ‌machines and materials have helped the company offset uneven ⁠demand in some end markets ⁠affected by inflationary pressures.

Under CEO William Brown, the company has also focused on improving customer service and operational execution as it works to strengthen growth and profitability.

Its consumer-facing businesses have continued to operate in a challenging spending environment, reflecting ‌cautious discretionary purchases by customers.

At the ​same time, higher energy costs have raised concerns about the potential impact on manufacturing activity and broader industrial demand.

While demand from automotive and consumer electronics customers has remained subdued, growth tied to data centers and semiconductor-related markets has provided a bright spot for 3M's Transportation and Electronics business, helping ​cushion weakness in some of its traditional end markets.

The Saint Paul, ‌Minnesota-based company launched ‌87 ⁠new products in the third quarter. It expects to reach over 350 product launches by the end of this year.

The Scotch-tape and Post-it maker reported adjusted quarterly revenue of $6.6 billion, up ‌4.2%.

The company's quarterly adjusted ​profit came in at $2.50 per share, ‌compared with $2.23 per share ⁠a year ​ago.

(Reporting by Apratim Sarkar and Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Devika Syamnath)

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