Honeywell Enters Into Agreement to Divest PPE Unit for $1.33B in Cash

Honeywell International Inc. HON recently entered into an agreement with Odyssey Investment Partners’ portfolio company, Protective Industrial Products, Inc. ("PIP"), for the divestment of its Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) business. The deal, valued at $1.325 billion in cash, is anticipated to close in the first half of 2025, subject to certain customary closing conditions and approvals.HON’s shares gained 1.3% on Friday, ending the trading session at $229.11.PIP is engaged in manufacturing and delivering PPE products throughout the world. Odyssey Investment Partners, a well-known private equity firm, has a long history of investing in industrial and business services companies to help them transform into diversified businesses with solid growth profiles.Inside the HeadlinesAs part of the Industrial Automation segment, Honeywell's PPE business provides a comprehensive range of PPE products to industrial workers globally. With an employee base of around 5,000 workers, the business runs 20 manufacturing sites and 17 distribution sites across North Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific and China.This divestment agreement is in sync with the company’s business transformation strategy, which includes realigning its businesses to three megatrends, automation, the future of aviation and energy transition. The divestiture will enable Honeywell to focus more on its core businesses and generate strong cash flow.It’s worth noting that Honeywell divested its Lifestyle and Performance Footwear business to Rocky Brands in 2021. The latest divestiture agreement will allow HON to completely exit from its PPE portfolio. The company will continue to operate its gas detection portfolio within the Industrial Automation segment.HON’s Zacks Rank & Price PerformanceHoneywell, with approximately $149 billion market capitalization, currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The company is benefiting from strength in its commercial aviation aftermarket business, driven by solid demand in the air transport and business aviation markets. Also, solid momentum in the commercial aviation original equipment business, backed by an improvement in build rates and an increase in air transport hours, has been favorable.However, HON has been witnessing weakness in the warehouse and workflow solutions businesses due to lower demand for projects, which has been affecting the Industrial Automation segment's performance.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchHON’s shares have gained 12.4% against the industry’s decline of 3.7% in the past three months.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the last 60 days.Key PicksSome better-ranked stocks from the same space are presented below.Federal Signal Corporation FSS presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.FSS delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 11.8%. In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Federal Signal’s 2024 earnings has increased 3.1%.PDD Holdings Inc. PDD has a Zacks Rank of 2 currently. PDD delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 33.1%. In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2024 earnings has increased 0.5%.RBC Bearings Incorporated RBC presently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. RBC delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 2.5%. In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2024 earnings has increased 1.3%.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Honeywell International Inc. (HON): Free Stock Analysis Report RBC Bearings Incorporated (RBC): Free Stock Analysis Report Federal Signal Corporation (FSS): Free Stock Analysis Report PDD Holdings Inc. Sponsored ADR (PDD): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks