LIVE
STE
STERIS plc · Healthcare - Medical Devices & Sterilization
$202.61
-5.51% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
MMM
3M Company · Industrials - Diversified Industrial & Healthcare
$160.60
+7.53% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
STE
2
MMM
3
Comparison scoreboard
MMM LEADS 3/5AI Score
STE ✓49.9
MMM 40.5
1Y Return
STE -14.54%
MMM ✓+12.93%
Fwd P/E
STE 17.14
MMM ✓16.76
Target Up.
STE ✓+23.75%
MMM +7.32%
Op. Margin
STE 20.04%
MMM ✓23.32%
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
STE vs MMM Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
STE (STERIS) and MMM (3M) are both healthcare-adjacent companies but with very different focuses — STERIS is a pure-play infection prevention and sterile processing company with mission-critical hospital infrastructure, while 3M is a highly diversified industrial conglomerate managing major legal liabilities (PFAS, Combat Arms) and a strategic transformation that included spinning off its healthcare segment as Solventum. STERIS is the focused healthcare infrastructure play; 3M is the industrial conglomerate in transformation.
STE vs MMM is mission-critical sterile processing infrastructure (STERIS's non-discretionary hospital sterilization services and equipment with high switching costs and recurring consumables) versus diversified industrial conglomerate managing litigation and transformation (3M's broad industrial portfolio under pressure from PFAS and earplug liabilities while spinning off healthcare) — focused healthcare infrastructure specialist versus industrial conglomerate in restructuring.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
MMM holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MMM leads on both 1-year return (+12.93%) and forward P/E (16.76x vs 17.14x for STE), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. On fundamentals, STE is growing revenue faster (7.30%), while MMM maintains the higher operating margin (23.32%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for STE (+23.75%) than for MMM (+7.32%).
Normalized 1Y performance
STE
MMM
Recent returns
STE
MMM
Analyst price targets & sentiment
STE · 9 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.2/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$231.00
analyst high$280.00
analyst mean$256.86
current price$202.61
+23.8% upside to analyst mean
MMM · 18 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.2/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$100.00
analyst high$184.00
analyst mean$169.91
current price$160.60
+7.3% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
STE may suit investors who:
- →Want a high-quality, mission-critical medical infrastructure company with non-discretionary hospital sterile processing revenue that is not dependent on elective procedure volumes or drug development funding
- →Value STERIS's mix of capital equipment and recurring consumables/service revenue as providing stability — the consumables and service segment cushions capital equipment cycle variability
- →Prefer a focused infection prevention and sterile processing pure-play over diversified conglomerates with unrelated business segments and legacy liabilities
MMM may suit investors who:
- →Want a high-dividend industrial conglomerate with a large global distribution network and iconic brands — 3M has paid dividends for over 60 consecutive years and has significant cash generation despite legal headwinds
- →Value 3M's diversification across industrial, safety, and technology markets as providing revenue resilience across different economic sectors
- →Are comfortable with the PFAS and earplug litigation risk as manageable given the settlement frameworks in place, and see 3M's post-Solventum industrial focus as a potential catalyst for valuation re-rating
Performance & AI score
| Metric | STE | MMM |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 49.9 | 40.5 |
| AI rank | #474 | #1040 |
| Latest close | $202.61 | $160.60 |
| 1M return | -5.51% | +7.53% |
| 6M return | -19.49% | -0.97% |
| 1Y return | -14.54% | +12.93% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | STE | MMM |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $8.58K (-14.2%) started 2025-06-18 | $11.27K (+12.7%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $10.79K (+7.9%) started 2021-06-21 | $13.58K (+35.8%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $36.26K (+262.6%) started 2016-06-20 | $21.58K (+115.8%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | STE | MMM |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $20.23B | $82.57B |
| Trailing P/E | 26.17 | 30.50 |
| Forward P/E | 17.14 | 16.76 |
| Price/Sales | 4.39 | 3.19 |
| EV/Revenue | 3.69 | 3.59 |
| Analyst target | $256.86 | $169.91 |
| Target upside | +23.75% | +7.32% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | STE | MMM |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 7.30% | 1.30% |
| Earnings growth | 52.20% | -39.70% |
| EPS growth | +52.20% | -39.70% |
| FCF margin | +14.11% | +9.28% |
| Operating margin | 20.04% | 23.32% |
| Profit margin | 13.18% | 11.14% |
| ROIC proxy | 11.37% | 71.46% |
| Return on equity | 11.37% | 71.46% |
| Dividend yield | 1.21% | 1.97% |
| Beta | 0.92 | 1.09 |
| Debt/equity | 29.00 | 396.50 |
| Current ratio | 2.09 | 1.59 |
| Quick ratio | 1.34 | 1.06 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
STE max drawdown25.78%
MMM max drawdown19.13%
STE max wkly drop10.97%
MMM max wkly drop7.99%
5Y risk snapshot
STE max drawdown36.18%
MMM max drawdown53.34%
STE max wkly drop13.72%
MMM max wkly drop13.89%
10Y risk snapshot
STE max drawdown36.18%
MMM max drawdown59.10%
STE max wkly drop17.18%
MMM max wkly drop15.07%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | STE | MMM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -14.23% | +12.69% |
| CAGR | -14.25% | +12.71% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.71 | 0.42 | |
| Max drawdown | 25.78% | 19.13% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.74% | 6.96% | |
| Max wkly drop | 10.97% | 7.99% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +4.17% | +14.88% |
| CAGR | +0.82% | +2.82% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.01 | 0.08 | |
| Max drawdown | 36.18% | 53.34% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.89% | 11.03% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.72% | 13.89% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +228.79% | +51.75% |
| CAGR | +12.65% | +4.26% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.42 | 0.12 | |
| Max drawdown | 36.18% | 59.10% | |
| Max daily drop | 11.59% | 12.95% | |
| Max wkly drop | 17.18% | 15.07% |
Business comparison
| Category | STE | MMM |
|---|---|---|
| Company | STERIS plc | 3M Company |
| Sector | Healthcare | Industrials |
| Industry | Medical Devices | Conglomerates |
| Core business | STERIS is a global leader in infection prevention and sterile processing — providing sterilizers and reprocessing equipment for surgical instruments, endoscopes, and medical devices used in hospitals; sterilization services for medical device manufacturers (contract sterilization using ethylene oxide and other modalities); and consumables (detergents, indicators, wrapping) used in hospital central sterile departments. STERIS also provides surgical tables and lighting, patient safety monitoring, and outsourced sterile processing services. | 3M is a global diversified industrial company producing thousands of products across safety and industrial (respirators, abrasives, adhesives), transportation and electronics (films, electrical products), and healthcare (wound care, surgical drapes, oral care, infection prevention). 3M has been undertaking a strategic transformation: spinning off its healthcare business as Solventum in 2024 and managing significant liabilities from PFAS contamination and Combat Arms Earplugs litigation. |
| Investor focus | Investors track STERIS's Healthcare segment (hospital sterile processing equipment and services), Applied Sterilization Technologies segment (contract sterilization for medical device manufacturers), and Life Sciences segment (pharmaceutical manufacturing sterility), as well as recurring consumables and service revenue versus capital equipment cycles. | Investors track 3M's Safety & Industrial and Transportation & Electronics segment revenues after the Solventum healthcare spinoff, PFAS settlement progress and financial impact, Combat Arms earplug litigation resolution, organic revenue growth ex-divested businesses, and the company's path to deleveraging after legal settlements. |
STE strengths
- →Mission-critical sterile processing infrastructure — every hospital that performs surgery requires sterilization of surgical instruments; this is non-discretionary, regulated hospital infrastructure where STERIS's equipment and processes are deeply embedded
- →Recurring consumables and service revenue — STERIS's installed base of sterilizers generates ongoing consumable (indicator tape, sterilization wraps, detergents) and service contract revenue that provides revenue stability beyond capital equipment cycles
- →Contract sterilization competitive moat — STERIS's Applied Sterilization Technologies (contract sterilization for medical device manufacturers) has high barriers to entry due to EPA and FDA regulations, specialized equipment, and established relationships with device companies that depend on reliable sterilization services
MMM strengths
- →Global distribution and brand recognition across industrial and consumer channels — 3M's distribution relationships and brand trust (Post-it, Scotch, Nexcare) provide access to virtually every industrial and consumer market globally
- →Innovation infrastructure spanning multiple technology platforms — 3M's investment in adhesives, films, abrasives, and materials science creates proprietary technologies applicable across many industries and products
- →Post-healthcare-spinoff focus on industrial and safety markets — after spinning off Solventum, 3M can focus capital allocation on its core industrial and safety businesses
Risks to watch — STE
- →Capital equipment spending cycles — hospital capital budgets affect STERIS's equipment revenue; hospital system consolidation, reimbursement pressures, or economic stress can delay equipment replacement cycles
- →EtO (ethylene oxide) regulatory risk — ethylene oxide is the most common gas sterilization method but is also a carcinogen; EPA regulations on EtO emissions are tightening, potentially requiring capital investments in emission controls or affecting STERIS's contract sterilization operations
- →Integration of Cantel Medical acquisition — STERIS acquired Cantel Medical (endoscope reprocessing specialist) in 2021; integration adds scale but introduces complexity
Risks to watch — MMM
- →PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) liability — 3M manufactured PFAS chemicals for decades; environmental contamination lawsuits have resulted in a $10.3B settlement with U.S. public water utilities with more potential liability outstanding
- →Combat Arms earplug litigation — 3M's Aearo Technologies subsidiary manufactured military hearing protection; lawsuits from veterans claiming hearing damage resulted in a $6B+ settlement
- →Post-Solventum restructuring complexity — the separation of 3M's healthcare segment as Solventum introduces one-time restructuring costs, stranded overhead, and revenue loss that complicate near-term financial results
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