Honeywell profit tops Wall Street view on margin boost

Honeywell International Inc posted fourth-quarter earnings just above Wall Street's expectations, reflecting the diversified U.S. manufacturer's campaign to boost profit margins in the face of sluggish sales growth.

The maker of cockpit electronics and systems to manage the climate and security of large buildings said on Friday that earnings came to $251 million, or 32 cents per share. For the year-earlier period, the company booked a loss of $310 million, or 40 cents per share.

Factoring out one-time items, the profit was $1.10 per share, topping the analysts' average forecast of $1.09, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue rose 1 percent to $9.58 billion from $9.47 billion a year earlier.

The company's performance materials unit, whose products include chemicals and equipment used in oil and gas production, notched the strongest sales growth in the quarter, up 8 percent. At the transportation systems unit, which makes products that include automobile turbochargers, sales fell 11 percent, reflecting weak European demand.

The Morris Township, New Jersey-based company confirmed its full-year profit forecast of $4.75 to $4.95 per share.

Honeywell shares have risen about 18.5 percent over the past year, outpacing the 13.6 percent rise of the broad Standard & Poor's 500 index.