MMM vs. MSFT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about 3M Company (MMM) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT).

Performance

MMM vs. MSFT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in 3M Company (MMM) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MMM vs. MSFT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
MMM 3M Company	-8.88%	26.36%	46.13%	-3.33%	-29.63%	4.85%	2.77%	-4.29%	-16.90%	34.90%
MSFT Microsoft Corporation	-23.28%	15.58%	12.93%	58.19%	-28.02%	52.48%	42.53%	57.56%	20.80%	40.73%

Fundamentals

Market Cap MMM : $78.28B MSFT : $2.76T
EPS MMM : $6.00 MSFT : $15.98
PE Ratio MMM : 24.21 MSFT : 23.16
PS Ratio MMM : 3.15 MSFT : 9.04
PB Ratio MMM : 16.49 MSFT : 7.06
Total Revenue (TTM) MMM : $24.95B MSFT : $305.45B
Gross Profit (TTM) MMM : $9.87B MSFT : $209.50B
EBITDA (TTM) MMM : $5.85B MSFT : $191.39B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MMM achieves a -8.88% return, which is significantly higher than MSFT's -23.28% return. Over the past 10 years, MMM has underperformed MSFT with an annualized return of 3.70%, while MSFT has yielded a comparatively higher 22.44% annualized return.

MMM

• 1D: 1.90%
• 1M: -12.15%
• YTD: -8.88%
• 6M: -5.59%
• 1Y: 0.71%
• 3Y*: 22.35%
• 5Y*: 1.55%
• 10Y*: 3.70%

MSFT

• 1D: 3.12%
• 1M: -5.75%
• YTD: -23.28%
• 6M: -28.23%
• 1Y: -0.64%
• 3Y*: 9.54%
• 5Y*: 9.74%
• 10Y*: 22.44%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

MMM vs. MSFT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

MMM

MMM Risk / Return Rank: 42
MMM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
MMM Sortino Ratio Rank: 37
MMM Omega Ratio Rank: 37
MMM Calmar Ratio Rank: 45
MMM Martin Ratio Rank: 46

MSFT

MSFT Risk / Return Rank: 38
MSFT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 41
MSFT Sortino Ratio Rank: 34
MSFT Omega Ratio Rank: 35
MSFT Calmar Ratio Rank: 41
MSFT Martin Ratio Rank: 40

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

MMM vs. MSFT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for 3M Company (MMM) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	MMM	MSFT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.02	-0.02	+0.05
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.26	0.15	+0.10
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.03	1.02	+0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.11	-0.05	+0.16
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.33	-0.12	+0.46
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MMM vs. MSFT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MMM Sharpe Ratio is 0.02, which is higher than the MSFT Sharpe Ratio of -0.02. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MMM and MSFT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	MMM	MSFT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.02	-0.02	+0.05
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.06	0.37	-0.32
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.14	0.84	-0.70
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.34	0.74	-0.39

Correlation

The correlation between MMM and MSFT is 0.32, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

MMM vs. MSFT - Dividend Comparison

MMM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.05%, more than MSFT's 0.94% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
MMM 3M Company	2.05%	1.82%	16.27%	5.49%	4.97%	3.33%	3.36%	3.26%	2.86%	2.00%	2.49%	2.72%
MSFT Microsoft Corporation	0.94%	0.70%	0.73%	0.74%	1.06%	0.68%	0.94%	1.20%	1.69%	1.86%	2.37%	2.33%

Drawdowns

MMM vs. MSFT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MMM drawdown since its inception was -59.10%, smaller than the maximum MSFT drawdown of -69.38%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MMM and MSFT.

Drawdown Indicators

	MMM	MSFT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-59.10%	-69.38%	+10.28%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-18.77%	-33.91%	+15.14%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-54.07%	-37.15%	-16.92%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-59.10%	-37.15%	-21.95%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-16.45%	-31.43%	+14.98%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-16.11%	-21.77%	+5.66%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	6.37%	12.46%	-6.09%

Volatility

MMM vs. MSFT - Volatility Comparison

3M Company (MMM) has a higher volatility of 8.90% compared to Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) at 6.48%. This indicates that MMM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than MSFT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MMM	MSFT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.90%	6.48%	+2.42%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	20.10%	19.15%	+0.95%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	30.99%	26.46%	+4.53%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	28.08%	26.19%	+1.89%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	26.37%	26.89%	-0.52%

Financials

MMM vs. MSFT - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between 3M Company and Microsoft Corporation over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

MMM - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, 3M Company reported a gross profit of 2.06B and revenue of 6.13B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 33.6%.

MSFT - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Microsoft Corporation reported a gross profit of 55.30B and revenue of 81.27B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 68.0%.

MMM - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, 3M Company reported an operating income of 796.00M and revenue of 6.13B, resulting in an operating margin of 13.0%.

MSFT - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Microsoft Corporation reported an operating income of 38.28B and revenue of 81.27B, resulting in an operating margin of 47.1%.

MMM - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, 3M Company reported a net income of 577.00M and revenue of 6.13B, resulting in a net margin of 9.4%.

MSFT - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Microsoft Corporation reported a net income of 38.46B and revenue of 81.27B, resulting in a net margin of 47.3%.