Elliott takes more than $5B stake in Honeywell, advises separating automation, aerospace units

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN The Associated Press

FILE - Construction workers pave a parking lot at a Honeywell plant on April 4, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Matt York]

Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has taken a more than $5 billion stake in Honeywell International and is calling for the industrial conglomerate to split into two separate companies.

In a letter sent to Honeywell’s board, Elliott said that the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company needs to simplify its structure as it deals with uneven execution, inconsistent financial results and an underperforming stock price.

Elliott is advising Honeywell to separate its automation and aerospace businesses.

“As independent entities, Honeywell Aerospace and Honeywell Automation would benefit from simplified strategies, focused management, improved capital allocation, better operational performance, enhanced oversight, and numerous other benefits now enjoyed by dozens of large businesses that have moved on from the conglomerate structure, including former conglomerates General Electric, United Technologies, and many more,” Elliott wrote.

The activist investor believes splitting up the aerospace and automation businesses would result in share-price gains of 51% to 75% over the next two years. Over the past five years, the stock has gained about 7% on an annualized basis, or less than half the S&P 500 return.

“Honeywell’s board of directors and management acknowledge and appreciate the perspectives of all our shareholders,” Stacey Jones, chief communicator at Honeywell, said in a statement. “Although Elliott had not made us aware of their views prior to today, we look forward to engaging with the firm to obtain their input. Our leadership welcomes investor feedback as we continue to execute a disciplined strategy, which includes pursuing sustainable growth, optimizing the portfolio, and maintaining an accretive capital deployment program.”

In the third quarter, Honeywell reported revenue growth but net income dipped a bit although earnings per share topped analyst forecasts. The company said it would spin off its advanced materials business by early 2026 and said its board approved a boost in its annual cash dividend, to $4.52 per share from $4.32 per share.

Elliot’s stake makes it one of Honeywell’s largest shareholders. It has a long history of activism, most recently at Southwest Airlines where the carrier last month agreed to overhaul its board of directors.

Shares of Honeywell rose 3% in afternoon trading Tuesday.