A Great Long Term Investment

There are not too many companies that you can say Buy and Hold but 3M Company (NYSE:MMM) may be one of them. The ones you’d like to buy and hold should have an A++ financial strength, a 100 percentile price stability rating, fairly predictable earnings streams and a cash flow that will allow for share buy backs, aggressive R&D, funding of acquisitions and any capital expenditures management deems necessary. 3M has all of those. Buying these companies on dips is always a good long term strategy.

3M Company (MMM), together with subsidiaries, operates as a diversified technology company worldwide. The company’s Industrial and Transportation segment offers tapes, coated and non-woven abrasives, adhesives, specialty materials, filtration products, energy control products, closure systems for personal hygiene products, acoustic systems products, and components and products that are used in the manufacture, repair, and maintenance of automotive, marine, aircraft, and specialty vehicles.

Its Healthcare segment provides medical and surgical supplies, skin health and infection prevention products, inhalation and transdermal drug delivery systems, dental and orthodontic products, health information systems, and food safety products.

The company’s Display and Graphics offers optical film solutions for LCD electronic displays; computer screen filters; reflective sheeting for transportation safety; commercial graphics sheeting and systems; and mobile interactive solutions, including mobile display technology, visual systems products, and computer privacy filters.

The company’s Consumer and Office segment provides office supply products, stationery products, construction and home improvement products, home care products, protective material products, certain consumer retail personal safety products, and consumer health care products.

Its Safety, Security and Protection Services segment offers personal protection products, safety and security products, cleaning and protection products for commercial establishments, track and trace solutions, and roofing granules for asphalt shingles.

The company’s Electro and Communications segment provides packaging and interconnection devices; fluids that are used in the manufacture of computer chips, and for cooling electronics and lubricating computer hard disk drives; high-temperature and display tapes; insulating materials, including tapes and resins; and related items. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.