3M Stock Sinks as Profit Forecast Disappoints

3M Co (NYSE:3M) stock is slipping today, despite the blue-chip conglomerate's adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of $1.83 per share on $6.1 billion in revenue, both of which topped analyst expectations. Instead, 2026 profit expectations falling short of estimates is weighing on the shares. A broad-market selloff isn't helping either, with MMM last seen down 3.8% at $161.43.

The stock has been rangebound since a Dec. 3 three-year peak of $174.69. Sharper pullbacks have been contained by the shares' 126-day moving average, while that peak was retested last week. Year over year, 3M stock is up 14.1%. 

Options are affordably priced at the moment, per the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 32% that sits in the 24th percentile of annual readings. And with a Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 12 out of 100, the security has consistently realized lower volatility than its options have priced in, so a premium-selling strategy could be the move for options traders after earnings.