NEW YORK: Earnings for 3M were again supported Tuesday by strong demand for protective masks to counter the coronavirus even as overall earnings fell amid weakness in some other businesses. Revenues for the US giant's safety and industrial segment rose during the third quarter, in part because of strong sales of N95 "respirators" that have been in demand all year as the world has contended with Covid-19.
3M has boosted production of the masks and collaborated with law enforcement officials to fight price-gouging and fraud of personal protective equipment. "Though economic uncertainty and challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic remain, we returned to positive organic sales growth with sequential improvement across businesses and geographies," said Chief Executive Mike Roman.
Net income came in at $1.4 billion, down 10.8 percent on a 4.5 percent rise in revenues to $8.4 billion. The results topped estimates for both earnings per share and sales.