HON vs EMR Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Honeywell and Emerson Electric are both major industrial automation companies — competing in process control, industrial instruments, and automation software while pursuing different portfolio strategies. Honeywell remains diversified across aerospace, building, industrial, and materials segments. Emerson has simplified toward pure-play automation with AspenTech software. Both serve similar end markets (oil & gas, chemicals, manufacturing) but with different business compositions.
HON vs EMR is the diversified industrial conglomerate with aerospace upside and automation controls across multiple sectors (Honeywell) versus the focused pure-play automation company transformed through portfolio restructuring with AspenTech industrial software (Emerson) — diversified industrial scale vs pure-play automation focus.
EMR holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. EMR has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+18.29% vs +3.26%), though HON trades at the lower forward P/E (19.25x vs 19.97x). EMR leads on both revenue growth (2.90%) and operating margin (24.24%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +11.97% for HON and +14.72% for EMR.
- →prefer diversified industrial exposure with strong aerospace segment benefiting from commercial aviation recovery alongside automation and building technology businesses
- →value Honeywell's brand recognition and installed base across oil & gas, aerospace, chemicals, and commercial buildings
- →want industrial dividend growth with Honeywell's history of consistent payouts across industrial cycles
- →are comfortable with conglomerate discount, portfolio complexity across 4+ very different market segments, and portfolio reshaping execution risk
- →prefer pure-play automation company focus after portfolio simplification — Emerson's cleaner automation + AspenTech story may unlock conglomerate discount relative to Honeywell
- →value AspenTech industrial software as a unique SaaS revenue stream within an automation company — software-led automation multiple expansion potential
- →want Emerson's simpler, cleaner industrial automation story with exposure to oil & gas, chemicals, and life sciences automation demand
- →are comfortable with transformation complexity, AspenTech minority ownership accounting, and automation cycle sensitivity to industrial capex
| Metric | HON | EMR |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 40.8 | 50.6 |
| AI rank | #1016 | #432 |
| Latest close | $229.01 | $150.66 |
| 1M return | +5.46% | +15.32% |
| 6M return | +14.57% | +14.45% |
| 1Y return | +3.26% | +18.29% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | HON | EMR |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.32K (+3.2%) started 2025-06-18 | $11.71K (+17.1%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $12.53K (+25.3%) started 2021-06-21 | $18.85K (+88.5%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $30.28K (+202.8%) started 2016-06-20 | $46.32K (+363.2%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | HON | EMR |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $139.6B | $80.13B |
| Trailing P/E | 35.19 | 33.12 |
| Forward P/E | 19.25 | 19.97 |
| Price/Sales | 3.75 | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 4.41 | 5.05 |
| Analyst target | $246.67 | $164.13 |
| Target upside | +11.97% | +14.72% |
| Metric | HON | EMR |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 2.40% | 2.90% |
| Earnings growth | -41.90% | 27.90% |
| EPS growth | -41.90% | +27.90% |
| FCF margin | +7.80% | +17.87% |
| Operating margin | 21.00% | 24.24% |
| Profit margin | 10.89% | 13.35% |
| ROIC proxy | 24.26% | 12.33% |
| Return on equity | 24.26% | 12.33% |
| Dividend yield | 2.16% | 1.55% |
| Beta | 0.84 | 1.25 |
| Debt/equity | 257.39 | 69.18 |
| Current ratio | 1.39 | 0.87 |
| Quick ratio | 0.93 | 0.59 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | HON | EMR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +3.22% | +17.10% |
| CAGR | +3.22% | +17.13% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.07 | 0.52 | |
| Max drawdown | 21.74% | 23.74% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.18% | 6.26% | |
| Max wkly drop | 10.46% | 8.71% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +15.10% | +72.66% |
| CAGR | +2.86% | +11.56% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.04 | 0.37 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.13% | 29.61% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.62% | 8.65% | |
| Max wkly drop | 14.33% | 15.00% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +147.09% | +256.62% |
| CAGR | +9.47% | +13.57% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.31 | 0.43 | |
| Max drawdown | 43.01% | 50.77% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.09% | 18.96% | |
| Max wkly drop | 24.70% | 28.66% |
| Category | HON | EMR |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Honeywell International Inc. | Emerson Electric Co. |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Conglomerates | N/A |
| Core business | Honeywell is a diversified industrial conglomerate providing automation controls, aerospace equipment, performance materials, and building technologies. Key segments include Aerospace Technologies (aircraft equipment, avionics, engines), Industrial Automation (warehouse automation, process control for oil & gas and chemicals), Building Automation (HVAC, fire, security), and Energy & Sustainability Solutions. Honeywell has been selectively separating businesses — the planned separation of its Advanced Materials segment was announced in 2024. | Emerson Electric has transformed from a broad industrial conglomerate into a focused automation company through portfolio restructuring. After selling climate businesses to create Copeland (HVAC compressors), acquiring AspenTech (industrial software), and divesting industrial tools, Emerson focuses on Intelligent Devices (automation valves, actuators, sensors) and Software & Control (AspenTech, DeltaV process control). Emerson serves oil & gas, chemicals, life sciences, food & beverage, and power industries globally. |
| Investor focus | Investors track aerospace order growth (the fastest-growing segment), industrial automation adoption, software-defined automation growth, and Honeywell's portfolio reshaping plans. | Investors track automation order backlog, AspenTech software revenue growth (the SaaS component enabling multiple expansion), and overall Intelligent Devices margin improvement. |
- →Aerospace segment growth is exceptional — aircraft production ramp and air travel recovery are driving strong aerospace equipment demand
- →Software-defined automation (Honeywell Forge) positions the company for digital industrial revenue beyond hardware
- →Process automation installed base in oil & gas, chemicals, and power generation creates long-term service and maintenance recurring revenue
- →Pure-play automation focus after portfolio transformation — Emerson's simplification is expected to unlock conglomerate discount and improve management focus
- →AspenTech industrial software is a unique digital industrial asset — process simulation and optimization software is deeply embedded in petrochemical and engineering workflows
- →Process automation installed base in oil & gas and chemicals provides long-term aftermarket parts and service revenue complementing new project sales
- →Honeywell's portfolio complexity (4+ major segments) creates conglomerate discount — each segment has different cycles and competitors
- →Portfolio reshaping (Advanced Materials separation) may not fully realize sum-of-parts value if capital markets remain skeptical of conglomerates
- →Industrial automation faces competition from Emerson, ABB, Siemens, and Rockwell Automation in specific market segments
- →Transformation complexity — selling climate businesses, integrating AspenTech, and refocusing took years and created operational uncertainty during transition
- →AspenTech integration and minority ownership structure (Emerson owns 57%) creates accounting complexity in earnings reporting
- →Honeywell, Siemens, and ABB compete directly with Emerson's automation products — no single player dominates process automation
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