{"id":107102,"date":"2026-07-15T17:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T17:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/107102\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T17:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T17:18:08","slug":"3m-expands-ai-push-with-microsoft-azure-data-center-partnership-3m-nysemmm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/107102\/","title":{"rendered":"3M Expands AI Push with Microsoft Azure Data Center Partnership – 3M (NYSE:MMM)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2022\u00a03M shares are advancing steadily. What\u2019s driving MMM shares up?<\/a><\/p>\n

3M and Microsoft Partner on AI Data Center Infrastructure<\/p>\n

This collaboration will leverage 3M\u2019s Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) technology, which is designed to improve fiber connections in data centers. It will make them faster to install and easier to maintain, thereby supporting the growing demand for cloud and AI workloads.<\/p>\n

The partnership will see Microsoft deploy 3M\u2019s EBO technology in its Azure data centers, marking a significant step in enhancing enterprise transformation across various functions. <\/p>\n

This collaboration is expected to streamline processes and improve decision-making at 3M while also advancing the infrastructure needed for AI.<\/p>\n

MMM Technical Outlook: Key Levels and Momentum<\/p>\n

From a technical perspective, 3M Company is currently trading at $159.61, which positions it 0.9% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) of $160.52. The stock is also 4.8% above its 50-day SMA of $154.56, indicating a bullish trend in the short term. However, the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) is below its signal line, suggesting that upside momentum may be fading unless the stock can reclaim that baseline.<\/p>\n

The stock\u2019s recent performance shows a 12-month gain of 3.60%, but it has encountered resistance near the $170 level, which could act as a barrier to further upside. Conversely, key support is identified at $148, where buyers have previously stepped in.<\/p>\n

MMM Earnings Preview and Analyst Price Targets<\/p>\n

The countdown is on: 3M Company is set to report earnings on July 21 (confirmed).<\/p>\n

Revenue Estimate: $6.39 billion (Up from $6.16 billion)<\/p>\n

Valuation: P\/E of 30.2x (Indicates premium valuation)<\/p>\n

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold rating with a consensus price target<\/a> of $153.74. Recent analyst moves include:<\/p>\n

Bernstein: Initiated with Underperform (Target $131 on June 10)<\/p>\n

Wells Fargo: Overweight (Raises target to $165 on April 22)<\/p>\n

RBC Capital: Underperform (Lowers target to $133 on April 22)
\nHow 3M Ranks On Value, Growth, Quality and Momentum<\/p>\n

Below is the Benzinga Edge scorecard<\/a> for 3M, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:<\/p>\n

Value: Weak (Score: 26.77) \u2014 Trading at a steep premium relative to peers.<\/p>\n

Growth: Neutral (Score: 50.09) \u2014 Growth prospects are moderate compared to the market.<\/p>\n

Quality: Strong (Score: 74.32) \u2014 The balance sheet remains healthy.<\/p>\n

Momentum: Weak (Score: 25.62) \u2014 Stock is underperforming the broader market.<\/p>\n

The Verdict: 3M Company\u2019s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a mixed profile, with strong quality but weak momentum and value scores indicating challenges in the current market environment. Investors may want to watch for further developments in the company\u2019s strategic initiatives and upcoming earnings report to gauge potential recovery.<\/p>\n

MMM ETF Exposure and Passive Fund Flow Risk
\niShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Value ETF (NASDAQ:IMCV<\/a>): 1.19% Weight<\/p>\n

Significance: Because MMM carries meaningful weight in this fund, any significant inflows or outflows for this ETF will likely trigger automatic buying or selling of the stock.<\/p>\n

MMM Stock Price Today: Shares Trade Higher<\/p>\n

MMM Stock Price Activity: 3M\u2019s shares were trading higher by 1.55% to $159 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo via Shutterstock\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2022\u00a03M shares are advancing steadily. What\u2019s driving MMM shares up? 3M and Microsoft Partner on AI Data Center…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[420,7829,8374,8789,5895,5893,5896,5892,320,7828,5891,55472,55473,55471,5899,5902,5903],"class_list":["post-107102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-microsoft","tag-azure","tag-azure-ai","tag-category-equities","tag-category-large-cap","tag-category-movers","tag-category-news","tag-category-tech","tag-cms-wordpress","tag-microsoft","tag-microsoft-ai","tag-pageisbzpro-bz","tag-symbol-dfra","tag-symbol-imcv","tag-symbol-mmm","tag-symbol-msft","tag-tag-benzai","tag-tag-why-its-moving"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}