Trump Sees Xi Call Settling Trade Flap Over Rare Earth Exports
US President Donald Trump expressed confidence a talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping could ease fresh trade tensions, after White House officials vented anger over Beijing's pace of issuing promised export licenses.
The dust-up threatened to again upend trade relations between the world's two largest economies, which have been held together by a fragile, weeks-old tariff truce.
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3M Company's MMM investors have been witnessing some short-term gains from the stock of late. The conglomerate giant's shares have gained 15.8% in the year-to-date period, outpacing the industry's and the S&P 500 composite's growth of 2.3% and 0.3%, respectively. The company has also outperformed other industry players like Honeywell International Inc. HON and Griffon Corporation GFF, which have declined 1.7% and 4.3%, respectively, over the same time frame. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Closing at $149.40 in the last trading session, the stock is trading close to its 52-week high of $156.35 and significantly higher than its 52-week low of $96.76. 3M stock is trading above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating solid upward momentum and price stability. This reflects a positive market sentiment and confidence in the company's financial health and long-term prospects. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research 3M has been witnessing solid momentum in the Safety and Industrial segment, driven by strength in roofing granules, industrial adhesives and tapes, and electrical markets. Strong demand for cable accessories, driven by an increase in the construction of data centers and renewable energy projects, is driving the segment's performance. Also, an increase in demand for industrial and electronics bonding solutions bodes the first quarter of 2025, revenues from the electrical, industrial adhesives and tapes markets grew in the high-single-digit range, while the same from roofing granules, industrial specialties and personal safety markets increased in the low-single-digit range. The Safety and Industrial segment's organic sales improved 2.5% year over year in the company's Transportation and Electronics segment has been benefiting from strength in the transportation and aerospace end markets. Strong momentum in the commercial aircraft and defense-related business and project wins in the advanced materials business are proving beneficial for the the first quarter, revenues from the aerospace market increased in low-double-digit, and the same from the advanced materials market grew in high-single-digit. The Transportation and Electronics segment's adjusted organic sales grew 1.1% in the quarter. However, persistent weakness in the automotive electrification market, due to lower automotive OEM build rates, remains a concern.3M has been undertaking several restructuring actions that include streamlining the geographic footprint, simplifying the supply chain and optimizing manufacturing roles to align with production volumes. In the first quarter, these actions, together with strong organic volume and productivity, raised 3M's adjusted operating margin by 220 basis points year over year to 23.5%.The company also remains focused on increasing shareholders' wealth through dividend payments and share buybacks. In the first quarter of 2025, it rewarded its shareholders with $396 million in dividends and $1.3 billion in buybacks. Also, in 2024, it paid dividends worth $2 billion and repurchased shares for $1.8 billion. In February 2025, the company hiked its quarterly dividend by 4%. For 2025, it expects to repurchase shares worth $2 billion. MMM's trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) is indicative of its growth potential. ROE for the trailing 12 months is 96.2%, much higher than the industry's 38.2%. This reflects the company's efficient usage of shareholder funds. Despite the aforementioned growth opportunities, 3M faces certain challenges that one should consider before investing in this stock. Weakness in the consumer retail end markets has been affecting the performance of the Consumer segment of late. The segment's sales declined 1.4% in the first quarter. There was a particular weakness in the command and packaging & expression businesses. Lower consumer retail discretionary spending on hardline goods is expected to hurt the company's overall performance in the first quarter, 3M's long-term debt was high at $12.3 billion, up 10.8% sequentially. Also, interest expenses in the quarter remained high at $255 million. Exiting the first quarter, its short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt totaled $1.2 billion. It's worth noting that 3M's long-term debt-to-capital ratio is currently 73.1%, higher than the industry's 55.2%. High debt levels, if not controlled, can increase financial obligations and prove detrimental to profitability in the quarters company has been subject to several litigations, including earplug lawsuits. It has committed substantial funds to resolve these disputes, as ongoing litigation might lead to additional also operates in the highly competitive electronics, transportation, aerospace, defense and other markets, comprising well-recognised providers of highly engineered products. As one of its peers, Honeywell serves as a global diversified technology and manufacturing company, with diversified products and services. Griffon, another peer, manufactures a wide range of consumer and professional, and home and building products. Earnings estimates for 3M have decreased over the past 30 days. Earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 have inched down 0.8% and 0.1%, respectively. (Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.) Image Source: Zacks Investment Research MMM is trading at a premium to industry peers with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 18.93X. The current valuation is above its five-year median of 15.98X and has surpassed the broader industry's multiple of 16.73X. In comparison, Honeywell and Griffon are trading at 20.72X and 10.57X, respectively. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Despite its several upsides and solid share price returns, the near-term challenges such as persistent weakness in the retail market, high debt level and premium valuation are limiting this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's prospects. While current shareholders should hold their positions, new investors should wait for the stock to retract some of its recent gains and provide a better entry can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 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 Griffon Corporation (GFF) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
