3M reported first-quarter 2026 sales of $6.0 billion, up 1.3% from a year earlier. Organic sales fell 1.4%, but the company said adjusted sales also totaled $6.0 billion and rose 3.9% year over year, with adjusted organic sales up 1.2%.
Operating profit improved sharply. GAAP operating margin was 23.2%, up 230 basis points from 20.9% in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted operating margin rose to 23.8% from 23.5%, a gain of 30 basis points.
Earnings moved in opposite directions depending on the measure. GAAP earnings per share were $1.23, down from $2.04 a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share increased to $2.14 from $1.88, a 14% increase.
Cash generation was also positive. Operating cash flow came in at $0.6 billion, and adjusted free cash flow was $0.5 billion. The company said it returned $2.4 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
For the full year 2026, 3M reiterated its targets for adjusted sales growth of about 4%, adjusted organic sales growth of about 3%, adjusted operating margin expansion of 70 to 80 basis points, adjusted EPS of $8.50 to $8.70, and adjusted operating cash flow of $5.6 billion to $5.8 billion. Today the company's shares have moved -2.74% to a price of $143.99. For more information, read the company's full 8-K submission here.
