HON vs SYM: How Honeywell International and Symbotic Compare (2026)

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 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: HON 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 SYM 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 SYM 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

Symbotic designs and builds AI-powered, robotics-based automation systems for distribution centers and warehouses. Its platform combines autonomous mobile robots, structure, machine vision, and proprietary software to receive, store, and assemble pallets and cases for retailers and wholesalers. The company makes money two ways: large upfront system-deployment contracts recognized on a percentage-of-completion basis as it installs hardware, and a growing stream of recurring software-licensing, parts, and maintenance fees once systems go live. Customers include Walmart, Albertsons, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Associated Wholesale Grocers, with retail and grocery supply chains the core market.

Full SYM 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.
• SYM drivers: A very large multi-year backlog; Structural demand for warehouse automation.

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 SYM, customer concentration is severe: Walmart is both the largest customer and an investor, and Walmart plus GreenBox account for the vast majority of backlog, so a change at either would be material.

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; SYM 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 SYM 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.

SYM. Figures are as of June 27, 2026, drawing on Symbotic's fiscal 2025 annual results and its fiscal Q2 2026 report (reported May 2026). In Q2 2026 the company reported ~$676 million revenue and roughly breakeven-to-slightly-positive net income with adjusted EBITDA of ~$78 million, and guided fiscal Q3 2026 revenue to ~$700 to $720 million. The market capitalization implies a high multiple of current revenue and a heavy reliance on backlog converting into profitable, recurring business.

Headline figures (approximate, early 2026): HON shows revenue (ttm) ~$39 billion, operating margin ~20%, net income (ttm) ~$5.5 billion, p/e (ttm) ~22x; SYM shows revenue (fy2025) ~$2.25 billion (+26% YoY), revenue (ttm) ~$2.5 billion, total backlog ~$22.7 billion (fiscal Q2 2026), gross margin (fy2025) ~18.8%.

HON and SYM 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 SYM exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.