Short Interest in Honeywell International Inc. (NASDAQ:HON) Drops By 20.7%

Honeywell International Inc. (NASDAQ:HON) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,980,000 shares, a decrease of 20.7% from the January 15th total of 8,800,000 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,210,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Honeywell International from $268.00 to $266.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wolfe Research cut shares of Honeywell International from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Honeywell International from $240.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Baird R W cut shares of Honeywell International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Honeywell International from $233.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.71.

Insider Transactions at Honeywell International

In related news, VP Anne T. Madden sold 28,885 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.89, for a total transaction of $6,004,902.65. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 41,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,644,066.20. This trade represents a 40.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Honeywell International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its stake in shares of Honeywell International by 4.5% in the third quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 1,226 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Honeywell International by 6.2% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 230,532 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $47,653,000 after acquiring an additional 13,420 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Honeywell International by 15.6% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 20,313 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $4,199,000 after acquiring an additional 2,742 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Honeywell International by 8.4% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $616,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Finally, One Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Honeywell International by 10.1% in the third quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. 75.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Honeywell International Stock Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ HON traded down $2.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $202.75. 5,348,878 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,948,731. Honeywell International has a 52-week low of $189.75 and a 52-week high of $242.77. The firm has a market cap of $131.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $215.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Honeywell International (NASDAQ:HON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The conglomerate reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.10. Honeywell International had a net margin of 14.82% and a return on equity of 35.78%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Honeywell International will post 10.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Honeywell International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Honeywell International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.89%.

About Honeywell International

Honeywell International Inc engages in the aerospace technologies, building automation, energy and sustainable solutions, and industrial automation businesses in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company’s Aerospace segment offers auxiliary power units, propulsion engines, integrated avionics, environmental control and electric power systems, engine controls, flight safety, communications, navigation hardware, data and software applications, radar and surveillance systems, aircraft lighting, advanced systems and instruments, satellite and space components, and aircraft wheels and brakes; spare parts; repair, overhaul, and maintenance services; and thermal systems, as well as wireless connectivity services.