Honeywell International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:HON)

Honeywell International Inc. (NASDAQ:HON) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 23,538 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 101% compared to the average daily volume of 11,682 call options.

Honeywell International Trading Down 5.4 %

NASDAQ HON traded down $11.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $210.45. 6,099,293 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,631,814. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $225.46 and its 200-day moving average is $215.23. Honeywell International has a 12-month low of $189.75 and a 12-month high of $242.77.

Honeywell International (NASDAQ:HON) last released its 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 15.02% and a return on equity of 37.77%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Honeywell International will post 9.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Honeywell International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ING Groep NV grew its position in Honeywell International by 884.0% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,752,472 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $395,866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,574,376 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Honeywell International by 8.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,826,700 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,684,957,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376,479 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Honeywell International by 24,683.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 948,704 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,961,070,000 after purchasing an additional 944,876 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in Honeywell International by 320.5% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 858,336 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $193,890,000 after buying an additional 654,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Honeywell International by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,763,764 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,527,867,000 after buying an additional 631,761 shares during the last quarter. 75.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research downgraded Honeywell International from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Honeywell International from $254.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Honeywell International from $227.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. HSBC raised Honeywell International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Honeywell International from $268.00 to $266.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Honeywell International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $248.29.

Honeywell International Company Profile

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.