The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which consumer goods editor and analyst Austin Smith discusses topics across the investing world.

In today's edition, Austin discusses a classic Dow stock, 3M. Austin loves 3M for a variety of reasons, and outlines a few things all investors should watch if they're thinking about either investing in this company or adding it to their watchlist. The company's new CEO, Inge Thulin, is expected to make a bigger push overseas than his predecessor, and that's a good thing. 3M is fortunate enough to earn higher margins in international markets than it does here. Austin expects that with 50,000 products and a culture of innovation, 3M will continue delivering for the long haul.

Of course, one of the best reasons to own 3M is its rock-solid dividend. As good as it is, though, it didn't qualify for our ranking of 9 Rock-Solid Dividends. You can learn about those companies that did make the grade by clicking here now.