Honeywell announced results for the first quarter and also announced an agreement to sell its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions (WWS) business in an all-cash transaction to American Industrial Partners. This transaction and the previously announced sale of Productivity Solutions and Services (PSS) are both expected to close in the second half of 2026. The company also updated the expected timing for the spin-off of Honeywell Aerospace to June 29, 2026, subject to final approval by Honeywell's Board of Directors and other customary conditions.
First-quarter reported and organic1 sales grew 2% driven primarily by pricing actions and new product introductions. Orders grew 7% organically fueled by strong demand in Building and Industrial Automation. As a result, backlog was up 2% sequentially to $38.3 billion.
Operating income decreased 14% and segment profit1 increased 6% to $2.1 billion with growth in all four segments. Operating margin contracted 320 basis points to 16.1% due to an impairment charge related to the PSS and WWS assets held for sale, and higher repositioning and divestiture-related costs. Excluding these and other items, segment margin1 expanded 90 basis points to 23.3%, driven by higher pricing and earlier-than-anticipated removal of stranded costs related to the planned spin-off of Honeywell Aerospace, which more than offset higher cost inflation.
EPS for the first quarter of $1.29 was down 35% year over year due to charges related to debt restructuring, impairment of assets held for sale, repositioning, and other separation-related items. Excluding these items, adjusted earnings per share1 was up 11% to $2.45 primarily driven by segment profit growth and lower weighted-average share count.
Finally, operating cash flow of ($0.7) billion declined year over year due to higher spin-off and separation-related cost payments and a payment for the settlement of Flexjet-related litigation matters. Free cash flow1,4 of $0.1 billion was down year over year primarily due to the timing of collections, stemming partially from the Middle East conflict.
Management Commentary
"Honeywell delivered a strong start to the year while navigating a challenging geopolitical environment. Orders were up 7% with growth in all segments, pushing backlog to over $38 billion, led by buildings and industrial automation. Through our relentless focus on productivity and execution, we generated 90 basis points of segment margin expansion. This profitable growth, coupled with an acceleration in stranded costs takeout, drove 11% adjusted earnings growth, overcoming the impacts of rising inflation and the disruption in the Middle East. This is a testament to the resiliency of the Honeywell portfolio," said Vimal Kapur, chairman and chief executive officer of Honeywell.
"This quarter, we took the final steps to conclude our multi-year portfolio transformation with our announcements to sell Productivity Solutions and Services and Warehouse and Workflow Solutions, both of which are expected to close in the second half of 2026. Further, the Honeywell Aerospace spin-off is now expected to be completed in the third quarter on June 29. All of the acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and simplification efforts over the last several years have positioned both aerospace and automation for bright futures as independent, leading companies, and we look forward to sharing more at the upcoming investor days in June," Kapur concluded.
Aerospace Technologies sales for the first quarter grew 3% organically1 year over year. Orders increased 6% compared to the previous year, with a book-to-bill of 1.1x, reflecting the continued elevated demand environment. Electronic solutions delivered strong double-digit growth in the quarter as shipment volumes better aligned to customer build schedules. Temporary mechanical supply chain disruptions pressured output growth across the segment, limiting sales growth in engines and power systems and control systems. Defense and space sales grew 4% driven by expanding global demand amid escalating geopolitical conflict. Commercial original equipment increased 3% as customer order patterns aligned to build schedules. Commercial aftermarket sales grew 3% with ongoing demand strength across the installed base. Segment margin expanded 20 basis points from the prior year to 26.5% as commercial excellence, productivity, and favorable mix were partially offset by cost inflation.
Building Automation sales grew 8% organically1 year over year. By business model, building solutions grew 8% driven by strength in services, and building products grew 8% highlighted by double-digit growth in the fire business, particularly in North America. Orders increased 9% led by growth in data center and hospitality verticals. Segment margin expanded 40 basis points to 26.4%, supported by commercial excellence and volume leverage, partially offset by cost inflation.
Process Automation and Technology sales decreased 6% organically1 year over year, driven by declines in aftermarket, which was down 10% due to delays in refining catalyst shipments and automation service upgrades. Projects sales were flat organically, as double-digit growth in LNG was offset by delays in process automation. PA&T saw an overall slowdown in activity in the Middle East stemming from the conflict which caused a transitory impact on revenue in the quarter. Despite this, orders were up 3% driven by double-digit growth in process technology. Segment margin expanded 200 basis points to 23.7%, driven primarily by productivity actions, partially offset by cost inflation.
Industrial Automation sales grew 1% year over year on an organic1 basis. Solutions grew 7% driven by project timing and aftermarket demand in warehouse and workflow solutions and strong services demand in measurement. Products declined 1% driven by productivity solutions and services, partially offset by continued momentum in sensing. Segment margin expanded 260 basis points year over year to 17.0% driven by commercial excellence and productivity actions, partially offset by cost inflation.
Sale of Warehouse and Workflow Solutions Business
Honeywell announced today that it has agreed to sell its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions (WWS) business to American Industrial Partners (AIP), an operationally focused private equity firm that invests in quality industrial businesses with strong management teams. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
This concludes Honeywell's review of strategic alternatives for the WWS business, which operates commercially under the Intelligrated and Transnorm brands. WWS, which generated approximately $935 million in revenue in 2025, is a leading provider of supply chain and warehouse automation projects, services and products – including automated sortation systems, palletizers, conveyors and robotics solutions as well as aftermarket services and software. WWS will build on AIP's existing investment in Trew, creating a complementary and differentiated platform to better serve customers across a wide range of industries.
As part of the same strategic review, Honeywell also announced on April 20 that it has agreed to sell its Productivity Solutions and Services business to Brady Corporation.
Upcoming Investor Day Details
The company earlier announced dates for its upcoming investor days ahead of the planned separation of Honeywell Aerospace, now expected to be completed in the third quarter on June 29, 2026. Honeywell Aerospace, which will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker "HONA", will host a live webcast of its inaugural investor conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Honeywell will then host a live video webcast of its 2026 investor conference in New York City on Thursday, June 11, 2026 for the automation business. Both events will feature presentations and Q&A panels with the respective management teams. Real-time webcasts of the presentations can be accessed at www.honeywell.com/investor, where related materials will be posted following presentations and a replay of the webcasts will be available for 30 days following the presentations.
Conference Call Details
Honeywell will discuss its first-quarter results and full-year 2026 guidance during an investor conference call starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time today. A 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/investor). A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the presentation.
