Seek Returns

MMM vs. RKLB: 3M vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

How do 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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

3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but MMM is classified in Industrial Conglomerates while RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

3M (MMM) has more than two decades of public-market history since January 2, 1962, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile ItemMMMRKLB
Name3M CompanyRocket Lab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryIndustrial ConglomeratesAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial ConglomeratesAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization95.67 billion USD33.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962November 24, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MMM
RKLB
GSPC
Loading price history…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
Total Return (1Y)16.26%12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)38.64%138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.14%31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MMM
RKLB
GSPC
Loading price history…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas 3M (MMM) is closer to market-like at 0.97 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)27.61%95.71%
Beta (5Y)0.973.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-48.86%-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.14M19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
MMM and RKLB 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 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.430.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.700.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile 3M (MMM) reports 72.97%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-7.92%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
RKLB
-7.92%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile 3M (MMM) reports 14.01%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-21.51%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
RKLB
-21.51%
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile 3M (MMM) reports 23.69%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-24.57%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
RKLB
-24.57%
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
ROE (TTM)72.97%-7.92%
ROA (TTM)8.22%-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)14.01%-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)23.69%-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.53%37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while 3M (MMM) at 1.52% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: 3M (MMM) reports EPS growth of -20.53%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.52%37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.57%41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)-20.53%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-16.16%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while 3M (MMM) at 1.41 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

5.48

RKLB
5.48
Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while 3M (MMM) at 3.04 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.04

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RKLB
0.04
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.415.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.040.04
Net Debt / EBITDA1.26--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.64%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)45.82%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: 3M (MMM) trades at 27.63 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
RKLB
--
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; MMM is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: 3M (MMM) at 3.79 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

44.12

RKLB
44.12
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and 3M (MMM) at 23.18 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

9.09

Max
9.66
RKLB
9.09
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
3M (MMM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for 3M (MMM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricMMMRKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)27.63--
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.7944.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)23.189.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)6.66%-0.74%