3M posted third-quarter earnings on Thursday of $1.98 a share, better than analysts had expected.
Analysts had expected 3M to post quarterly earnings of $1.96 per share on revenue of $8.24 billion.
Share prices of 3M rose 1.5 percent in premarket trading. (Get the latest quote here.)
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Earlier in the month, 3M announced a $107 million contract with the U.S. government to produce combat helmets for marines, soldiers and sailors.
The inventor of masking tape and waterproof sandpaper, 3M includes household brands such as Scotch, Post-it, and Scotch-Brite.
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The company began in 1902 and now operates in more than 70 countries with more than $30 billion in sales.
—CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this story.