3M is a technology company. Co.'s business segments are: Safety and Industrial, which includes businesses in automotive aftermarket, closure and masking systems, electrical markets, industrial adhesives and tapes, personal safety, roofing granules, and other safety and industrial; Transportation and Electronics, which include automotive and aerospace, commercial solutions, display materials and systems, electronic materials solutions, and transportation and safety; Health Care, which includes food safety, health information systems, and medical and oral care solutions; and Consumer, which includes consumer health care, home care, home improvement, stationery and office, and other consumer.
When researching a stock like 3M, many investors are the most familiar with Fundamental Analysis — looking at a company's balance sheet, earnings, revenues, and what's happening in that company's underlying business. Investors who use Fundamental Analysis to identify good stocks to buy or sell can also benefit from MMM Technical Analysis to help find a good entry or exit point. Technical Analysis is blind to the fundamentals and looks only at the trading data for MMM stock — the real life supply and demand for the stock over time — and examines that data in different ways. One of those ways is to calculate a Simpe Moving Average ("SMA") by looking back a certain number of days. One of the most popular "longer look-backs" is the MMM 200 day moving average ("MMM 200 DMA"), while one of the most popular "shorter look-backs" is the MMM 50 day moving average ("MMM 50 DMA"). A chart showing both of these popular moving averages is shown on this page for 3M. |
Video: Technical Analysis