3M Company (MMM) released its first quarter earnings report on Tuesday, April 21. While 3M posted better-than-expected sales for the quarter, its shares fell around 1% following the release of the report.

Net sales for the quarter came in at $6.03 billion. This was up 1% from $5.95 billion during the same quarter last year and ahead of analysts’ estimated quarterly sales of $6.01 billion.

"We are executing on 3M's value creation framework to build a stronger company," said 3M CEO, William Brown. "Our focus remains on improving execution of the fundamentals and transforming the company by simplifying and standardizing our processes and footprint and reshaping the portfolio. We had a good start to the year, and despite operating in a volatile environment, we remain confident in achieving our 2026 guidance while staying committed to our long-term strategy - investing in growth, driving operational performance, and returning cash to shareholders.”

3M posted net income of $653 million or $1.23 per adjusted share for the quarter. Last year at this time, the company posted net income of $1.12 billion or $2.04 per adjusted share.

The company’s Safety and Industrial segment reported sales of $2.93 billion during the quarter, up from $2.75 billion during the same period the prior year. Sales in the Transportation and Electronics segment reached $1.85 billion, up from $1.82 billion one year ago. The Consumer segment posted sales of $1.13 billion, up from $1.12 billion in the year prior. 3M reiterated its full-year 2026 earnings outlook and expects adjusted earnings in the range of $8.50 to $8.70 per share and total sales growth of 4%.

3M Company (MMM) shares ended the week at $145.99, down 5% for the week.

Quest Diagnostics Delivers Healthy Earnings Report

Quest Diagnostics, Inc. (DGX) posted its first quarter financial results on Tuesday, April 21. After reporting strong revenue and earnings, the diagnostic testing company’s stock increased by more than 4% following the release.

The company’s revenue for the first quarter totaled $2.90 billion. This was up over 9% from revenue of $2.65 billion during the same quarter last year and above analysts’ estimates of $2.81 billion.

“Our more than 9% revenue growth, almost entirely organic, and approximately 13% adjusted diluted earnings per share growth reflect our team's disciplined execution of our strategy to deliver innovative diagnostic solutions for our customers' evolving needs,” said Quest Diagnostics CEO, Jim Davis. “We are raising our revenue and EPS guidance for the year, given our robust first quarter performance and continued strategic focus.”

Quest Diagnostics reported net income of $252 million or $2.24 per diluted share for the quarter. This was up from net income during the same quarter last year of $220 million or $1.94 per diluted share.

The New Jersey-based company reported an increase in revenue from its Diagnostic Information Services of over 9%, reaching $2.83 billion. During the quarter, Quest Diagnostics introduced AI Companion, a feature in its app that makes lab results easier to understand. Since its launch, patients have engaged with AI Companion approximately 350,000 times. For the 2026 fiscal year, the company updated its guidance and expects net revenues to be between $11.78 billion to $11.90 billion with diluted earnings per share to be in the range of $9.58 to $9.78 per share.

Quest Diagnostics, Inc. (DGX) shares ended the week at $196.27, up 1% for the week.

Boeing’s Earnings Report Released

The Boeing Company (BA) announced its first quarter earnings report on Wednesday, April 22. The aircraft manufacturer reported an increase in revenue causing the company’s shares to rise by over 3%.

Boeing reported quarterly revenue of $22.21 billion, above analysts’ estimates of $21.99 billion. Last year at this time, quarterly revenue was recorded at $19.50 billion.

“We are building on our momentum with a strong start to the year and growing record-breaking backlog across our business, while supporting our customers with inspiring missions like Artemis II,” said Boeing CEO, Kelly Ortberg. "With a continued focus on safety and quality, we are delivering high-quality commercial and defense products and services, while increasing production to uphold our customer commitments and get back to the iconic global aerospace company that leads our industry."

The company reported a net loss of $90 million or $0.11 per adjusted share. During the same quarter last year, the company had a net loss of $123 million or $0.16 per adjusted share.

The Seattle-founded aerospace giant reported increased revenue throughout all segments during the first quarter. Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes revenue rose to $9.20 billion, a 13% increase from $8.15 billion in the same quarter last year. The segment also delivered 143 airplanes and had a backlog of more than 6,100 aircraft valued at a record $576 billion. Defense, Space & Security reported revenue of $7.60 billion, a 21% rise from $6.30 billion this time last year. Revenue for Global Services increased 6% to $5.37 billion from $5.06 billion in the first quarter of 2025.

The Boeing Company (BA) shares closed at $232.44, up 5% for the week.

The Dow started the week of 4/20 at 49,422 and closed at 49,231 on 4/24. The S&P 500 started the week at 7,117 and closed at 7,165. The NASDAQ started the week at 24,404 and closed at 24,837.

Treasury yields ticked higher throughout the week as geopolitical tensions persisted, and investors waited for the release of April’s Flash PMI data. Yields edged up at the end of the week as the latest employment data showed signs of a stable labor market.

On Thursday, S&P Global released its flash U.S. Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for April, indicating growth in the service industry. The PMI measures the change in economic activity in the services sector and is used as an indicator of U.S. economic activity. The flash PMI for April was 51.3, up from 49.8 in March and above analysts’ forecast of 50.0.

"The April PMI is broadly consistent with the economy struggling to manage annualized growth in excess of 1%, with the vast service sector acting as the principal drag," said chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, Chris Williamson. "Balancing the risks of inflation lifting sharply higher against the underlying weakness of economic growth presents policymakers at the Fed with a growing dilemma."

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield opened the week of April 20 at 4.25% and traded as high as 4.35% on Thursday. The 30-year Treasury bond opened the week at 4.91% and traded as high as 4.94% on Thursday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for unemployment increased by 6,000 to 214,000 for the week ending April 18, higher than economists’ expectations of 210,000 claims. Continuing claims increased by 12,000 to 1.82 million.

"The labor market has become more vulnerable since the start of the war, but the claims data over the last two months show no evidence of cracks," said lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, Nancy Vanden Houten. "However, it has always been our expectation that the spike in oil prices would take some time to become apparent in the labor market data."

The 10-year Treasury note yield finished the week of 4/20 at 4.31% while the 30-year Treasury note yield finished the week at 4.91%.

Freddie Mac released its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey on Thursday, April 23. The survey showed mortgage rates decreasing for the third consecutive week.

This week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 6.23%, down from last week’s average of 6.30%. Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 6.81%.

The 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 5.58% this week, down from last week’s 5.65%. During the same week last year, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 5.94%.

“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined again this week to 6.23%,” said chief economist at Freddie Mac, Sam Khater. “Rates currently stand at their lowest level in the last three spring homebuying seasons. This improvement, coupled with a pickup in purchase applications and refinance activity, as well as an increase in monthly pending home sales, underscores signs of improving momentum in the market.”

Based on published national averages, the savings rate was 0.38% as of 4/20. The one-year CD averaged 1.53%.

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