HON vs ITRI: How Honeywell International and Itron Compare (2026)

Same yardstick, side by side (as of July 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: ITRI is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. HON and ITRI share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined HON and ITRI exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Honeywell International is a diversified industrial technology conglomerate that makes a broad range of products and software across aerospace, building automation, energy and sustainability, and industrial automation. Its Aerospace segment supplies engines, avionics, and systems for commercial and defense aircraft and earns recurring aftermarket revenue servicing them. Its Building Automation business sells controls, sensors, fire and security systems for commercial buildings. Energy and Sustainability Solutions includes specialty chemicals, materials, and process technologies, while Industrial Automation covers warehouse and process control, sensing, and the productivity (barcode scanning) business. Honeywell makes money from a mix of equipment sales, long-cycle projects, recurring aftermarket service, and growing software offerings. The company has been reshaping its portfolio, spinning off and acquiring businesses to focus on aerospace, automation, and energy transition. Founded in its modern form through a 1999 merger and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Honeywell is a large, broadly held industrial blue chip.

Full HON guide

Itron is a technology company that provides products and services for utilities and cities to measure, manage, and optimize the delivery of electricity, gas, and water. It is best known for smart meters and the communication networks that connect them, enabling utilities to read consumption remotely, detect outages, manage demand, and reduce losses. Itron's business spans device solutions (meters and sensors), networked solutions (the communication infrastructure and data collection that turn meters into a connected grid), and outcomes (software, analytics, and managed services that help utilities act on the data). The company makes money selling hardware to utilities, building out networks, and increasingly through recurring software and services that analyze grid and resource data. Itron is positioned around grid modernization, energy efficiency, water conservation, and the integration of renewables and distributed energy resources. Headquartered in Liberty Lake, Washington, Itron is a focused player in the utility technology and smart-infrastructure space, with long sales cycles tied to utility capital budgets.

Full ITRI guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• HON drivers: Aerospace aftermarket strength; Portfolio reshaping and software.
• ITRI drivers: Grid modernization and smart metering; Shift to recurring software and outcomes.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: As a diversified industrial, Honeywell is exposed to the broad economic cycle, with several segments sensitive to construction, manufacturing capex, and energy markets. For ITRI, itron's revenue depends on utility capital spending, which moves slowly and is subject to regulatory approvals, so demand can be lumpy and tied to long, deal-by-deal sales cycles.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick HON if you believe its drivers more; ITRI if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the HON and ITRI guides.

HON. Honeywell trades at a valuation typical of a high-quality diversified industrial, reflecting solid margins, strong cash generation, a durable aerospace aftermarket, and a reliable dividend, balanced against modest organic growth and cyclical exposure. The market values its quality and stability while watching whether portfolio reshaping and software can lift growth above the broad industrial average.

ITRI. Itron trades at a valuation that reflects a mid-cap utility-technology company benefiting from grid modernization, balanced against modest growth, project-driven lumpiness, and historically thin margins. The market increasingly values the shift toward recurring software and the long backlog as sources of more durable, higher-margin revenue, while remaining mindful of utility-budget cyclicality and supply chain sensitivity.

Headline figures (approximate, early 2026): HON shows revenue (ttm) ~$39 billion, operating margin ~20%, net income (ttm) ~$5.5 billion, p/e (ttm) ~22x; ITRI shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.4 billion, operating margin ~10%, net income (ttm) ~$200 million, p/e (ttm) ~25x.

HON and ITRI are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined HON and ITRI exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.