3M heads into its October 20 earnings release with a strong track record of beating consensus estimates, including a 5.7% EPS surprise in Q2 2026 when results reached $2.40 versus the $2.25–$2.27 target. Analysts currently project $2.39–$2.41 EPS and roughly $6.61 billion in revenue for Q3, with expected margin expansion from restructuring, pricing discipline, and growth in the Safety & Industrial and Transportation & Electronics segments offsetting softer consumer demand. This momentum, combined with tight estimate ranges and four consecutive beats, underpins the 91.5% market-implied probability for an outperformance. Still, risks such as litigation costs or weaker end-market demand could pressure results.