Honeywell Overdelivers on All Guided Metrics in the First Quarter; Raises Full-Year Sales and Adjusted Eps Guidance

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 23, 2021 -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced results for the first quarter that exceeded the company's guidance. The company also raised its full-year sales guidance and raised the midpoint of its adjusted earnings per share and cash flow guidance.

“Honeywell delivered a strong start to 2021 with first-quarter results that exceeded our expectations. We are seeing promising signs of a rapid recovery in some of our markets, and we are poised to capitalize on new business opportunities as they arise,” said Darius Adamczyk, chairman and chief executive officer of Honeywell. “We reported first-quarter sales of $8.5 billion, flat year over year, or a decline of 2% on an organic basis. Our first-quarter sales exceeded the high end of our guidance range by approximately $250 million driven by continued double-digit growth in our Warehouse and Workflow Solutions and personal protective equipment businesses as well as demand for our building products and services, advanced materials, and connected software. Operating margin contracted 220 basis points for the quarter to 17.8%, with segment margin contracting 80 basis points to 21.0%, which exceeded the high end of our guidance by 10 basis points. We delivered segment margin expansion in Aerospace, Honeywell Building Technologies, and Safety and Productivity Solutions for the second consecutive quarter, supported by our streamlined cost base following the cost actions we took in 2020. We delivered earnings per share of $2.03, with adjusted earnings per share¹ of $1.92, down 13% year over year but 9 cents above the high end of the previously provided guidance range. We continued to take advantage of our strong balance sheet, and deployed capital to high-return opportunities in the quarter, including closing our acquisition of quality management software leader Sparta Systems and announcing the acquisition of a majority stake in Fiplex, a leading provider of in-building communications systems. In addition, we repurchased $0.8 billion in Honeywell shares and made five strategic investments through Honeywell Ventures.”

Adamczyk continued, “As we look to the rest of 2021 and beyond, we are well positioned for the recovery to come. Our new offerings in growing markets like life sciences are gaining traction and the industries that were hardest hit by the pandemic are expected to improve throughout the year. We have a robust portfolio of technologies that help our customers meet their environmental and social goals. In fact, about half of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment is directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers. Earlier this month, we pledged to become carbon neutral in our operations and facilities by 2035, building on our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint in 2024 by 10% from 2018 levels. Our confidence in this commitment is underpinned by our history of setting aggressive environmental targets and beating them, which has enabled us to reduce our greenhouse gas intensity by more than 90% since 2004. We look forward to continuing to deliver outstanding results for our shareowners, customers, and employees."

As a result of the company’s first-quarter performance and management’s outlook for the remainder of the year, Honeywell raised its full-year sales guidance and raised the midpoint of its adjusted earnings per share and cash flow guidance. Full-year organic sales growth is now expected to be in the range of 3% to 5%. Adjusted earnings per share² is expected to be $7.75 to $8.00, up 15 cents from the low end of the prior guidance range. Operating cash flow is now expected to be in the range of $5.8 billion to $6.1 billion and free cash flow is now expected to be in the range of $5.2 billion to $5.5 billion. A summary of the company’s full-year guidance changes can be found in Table 1.

First-Quarter Performance

Honeywell sales for the first quarter were flat on a reported basis and down 2% on an organic basis. The first-quarter financial results can be found in Tables 2 and 3.

Aerospace sales for the first quarter were down 22% on an organic basis driven by lower commercial aftermarket demand due to the ongoing impact of reduced flight hours, softness in commercial original equipment, and lower volumes in international defense, partially offset by growth in U.S. defense and space. Segment margin expanded 110 basis points to 29.0%. Margin performance was due to a number of factors, including commercial excellence, cost management, and a one-time benefit.

Honeywell Building Technologies sales for the first quarter were up 2% on an organic basis driven by demand for Products and growth in Building Solutions services. Orders were up mid-single digits year over year, driven by strong bookings for services and security products. Segment margin expanded 200 basis points to 22.5% driven by commercial excellence and productivity, net of inflation.

Performance Materials and Technologies sales for the first quarter were down 6% on an organic basis driven by continued delays in Process Solutions automation projects, lower volumes in smart energy, and lower demand for licensing and catalysts in UOP, partially offset by continued growth in Advanced Materials driven by strong demand for fluorine products and specialty materials. Segment margin contracted 290 basis points to 18.5% driven by the impact of sales mix, partially offset by commercial excellence.

Safety and Productivity Solutions sales for the first quarter were up 47% on an organic basis driven by double-digit Warehouse and Workflow Solutions, personal protective equipment, and Productivity Solutions and Services growth. Orders were up double digits year over year for the sixth straight quarter, led by continued demand for personal protective equipment and Productivity Solutions and Services, and backlog remained above $4 billion for the third quarter in a row. Segment margin expanded 180 basis points to 14.3% driven by the impact of higher sales volumes.

Conference Call Details

Honeywell will discuss its first-quarter results and updated full-year guidance during an investor conference call starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time today. To participate on the conference call, please dial (800) 263-0877 (domestic) or (646) 828-8143 (international) approximately ten minutes before the 8:30 a.m. EDT start. Please mention to the operator that you are dialing in for Honeywell’s first-quarter 2021 earnings call or provide the conference code HON1Q21. The live webcast of the investor call as well as related presentation materials will be available through the Investor Relations section of the company’s website (www.honeywell.com/us/en/investor). Investors can hear a replay of the conference call from 12:30 p.m. EDT April 23 until 12:30 p.m. EDT April 30 by dialing (888) 203-1112 (domestic) or (719) 457-0820 (international). The access code is 8053208.

TABLE 1: FULL-YEAR 2021 GUIDANCE⁴