You Saw The Earnings, But What Did CEOs Say?

Tuesday was a jam-packed day for earnings across all sectors. In the industrial landscape, I paid closest attention to 3M Co., Caterpillar Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc., each a bellwether in its own right. You can find the specifics on earnings numbers in the companies’ news releases here, here and here, but in this time of unprecedented volatility, what CEOs are saying about how they are running their businesses is more telling. Here are my top takeaways:

3M: Like many companies, 3M has suspended its 2020 guidance given the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus outbreak and rolling economic shutdowns, but in an effort to provide more transparency, the maker of Post-it notes is now going to provide monthly sales updates — broken down by geography and business segment — for the foreseeable future. This follows Emerson Electric Co.’s marathon two-hour-plus earnings call last week that featured presentations by not only the CEO and CFO but also the heads of its main business divisions. It’s nice to see companies setting the bar high on disclosures during this period of upheaval; hopefully others follow suit. The second quarter is expected to bring the worst of the virus impact, and 3M is cutting $350 million to $400 million of costs in the period to adjust to lower demand. Notably, however, much of that involves discretionary spending on things like travel, external services and advertising, rather than cuts to payroll, which 3M says it’s trying to minimize. It’s using furloughs, but they’re paid leaves, and in other cases, employees are being asked to take vacation. Bear in mind that 3M had announced a restructuring plan in January, separate from the coronavirus, that would see it eliminate some 1,500 jobs, so it’s hardly a corporate saint. But given its sales of N95 respirators, you’d be hard-pressed to find a company that better understands the toll the virus is taking, and 3M seems to legitimately want to to do the right thing by its workforce. Like others in the industrial sector, the company also appears wary of cutting too deep and being unprepared for an eventual recovery.

3M is clearly conscious of its image after having its name dragged through the mud by President Donald Trump and billionaire Mark Cuban over production and sales of N95 respirators. The company devoted an entire slide in its earnings presentation to the topic. 3M has already doubled global N95 output to 100 million per month and is investing in capacity to double that yet again; it’s directed 90% of production to health-care workers, with the remainder going to other critical industries such as food production; and the company has cut loose some distributors who acted “unethically” and is pursuing numerous lawsuits amid allegations of price gouging. The company also made a point of highlighting its 76 plants and distribution centers across the U.S. in an apparent nod toward calls for a revival of America’s manufacturing might. “3M has never left our home country,” CEO Michael Roman said on the call.