GNRC vs. MMM: Generac vs. 3M Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GNRC is classified in Electrical Equipment while MMM is classified in Industrial Conglomerates.

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Profile Item	GNRC	MMM
Name	Generac Holdings Inc.	3M Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Industrial Conglomerates
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Industrial Conglomerates
Market Capitalization	10.43 billion USD	95.67 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 11, 2010	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC

MMM

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
Total Return (1Y)	23.38%	16.26%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.05%	38.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-15.31%	8.14%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC

MMM

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	59.48%	27.61%
Beta (5Y)	1.84	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-81.73%	-48.86%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.22M	3.14M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GNRC and MMM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	0.43
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.50	0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

3M (MMM) at 72.97% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Generac (GNRC) at 10.64%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
GNRC: 10.64%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

72.97%

MMM: 72.97%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

3M (MMM) at 14.01% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Generac (GNRC) at 6.52%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
GNRC: 6.52%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

14.01%

Max: 27.47%
MMM: 14.01%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

3M (MMM) at 23.69% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Generac (GNRC) at 11.67%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
GNRC: 11.67%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

23.69%

Max: 36.60%
MMM: 23.69%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
ROE (TTM)	10.64%	72.97%
ROA (TTM)	4.24%	8.22%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.52%	14.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.67%	23.69%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.18%	39.53%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% and 3M (MMM) at 1.52% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

3M (MMM) at -20.53% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-2.02%	1.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.67%	-1.57%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-50.09%	-20.53%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-20.83%	-16.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while 3M (MMM) at 1.41 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for MMM.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
GNRC: 1.97
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

1.41

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
MMM: 1.41
Min: 0.36

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while 3M (MMM) at 3.04 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
GNRC: 0.47
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

3.04

MMM: 3.04
Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.97	1.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.47	3.04
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	1.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile 3M (MMM) reports a yield of 1.64%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

1.64%

Max: 2.66%
MMM: 1.64%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile 3M (MMM) reports a payout of 45.82%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

45.82%

Max: 67.39%
MMM: 45.82%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.64%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	45.82%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 and 3M (MMM) at 27.63 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
GNRC: 34.87
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

27.63

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
MMM: 27.63
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while 3M (MMM) at 3.79 sits in the pricier quartile — MMM costs more per dollar of sales.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
GNRC: 2.26
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

3.79

Max: 7.54
MMM: 3.79
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while 3M (MMM) at 23.18 prices above its benchmark range — MMM looks rich relative to book.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
GNRC: 3.46
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

23.18

MMM: 23.18
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Generac (GNRC) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GNRC	MMM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.87	27.63
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	3.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.46	23.18
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.21%	6.66%