Honeywell vs Kia: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Honeywell reported $37.4B of revenue in FY2025 and $4.7B of net income. Kia reported ~$81B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$5.4B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Honeywell
Legacy Honeywell reported $37.4 billion of FY2025 sales from continuing operations (after the Solstice spin) and $4.7 billion of net income. Recast for the Aerospace spin-off, the continuing automation business had a $19.9 billion FY2025 sales base. In Q2 2026, Honeywell Technologies alone posted $5.19 billion of sales (up 3% reported, 4% organic), orders up 16%, a 19.0% segment margin (up 100 basis points), and adjusted EPS of $1.95. Reported EPS of $16.65 was inflated by a one-time gain on deconsolidating Quantinuum. After the quarter, management guided 2026 sales to $19.8-20.0 billion and adjusted EPS to $8.05-8.35, reflecting a 1-for-2 reverse stock split that cut the share count to about 317 million.
Kia
Kia's revenue has risen every year since 2020: from ~$49.6 billion (KRW 69.9 trillion) in 2021 to ~$76.3 billion (KRW 107.4 trillion) in 2024 and a record ~$81 billion (KRW 114.1 trillion) in 2025 (+6.2%). Profit has not kept up. Operating profit fell 28.3% in 2025 to ~$6.45 billion (KRW 9.08 trillion), and the margin dropped from 11.8% to 8.0% as US tariffs and incentives ate into earnings. Net profit was about $5.36 billion (KRW 7.55 trillion). The squeeze continued into 2026. Q1 revenue was a record ~$20.9 billion (KRW 29.50 trillion) (+5.3%), but operating profit fell 26.7% to ~$1.57 billion (KRW 2.21 trillion). Q2 revenue reached ~$23.5 billion (KRW 33.04 trillion) (+12.6%) while operating profit fell 4.9% to ~$1.87 billion (KRW 2.63 trillion). The shares dropped about 13% on the day of the Q2 results. Shareholder returns are still high: the 2025 dividend was KRW 6,800 per share, a 35% consolidated payout ratio, and Kia has been cancelling treasury shares, cutting issued shares from 405.4 million in 2022 to 390.4 million at the end of 2025.
Revenue and profit by year
Honeywell
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $37.4B | $4.7B | 12.6% | +7.8% | Source |
| FY2024 | $34.7B | $5.7B | 16.4% | +5.2% | Source |
| FY2023 | $33B | $5.7B | 17.1% | -6.9% | Source |
| FY2022 | $35.5B | $5B | 14.0% | +3.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | $34.4B | $5.5B | 16.1% | +5.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | $32.6B | $4.8B | 14.6% | -11.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $36.7B | $6.1B | 16.7% | -12.2% | Source |
| FY2018 | $41.8B | $6.8B | 16.2% | +3.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | $40.5B | $1.5B | 3.8% | +3.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $39.3B | $4.8B | 12.2% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Honeywell
- Building Automation~38%
Building controls, fire, security, energy management, software, services, and connected facility systems.
- Industrial and Process Automation~46%
Process controls, warehouse automation, sensors, safety products, productivity systems, and industrial software.
- Software, Services, and Aftermarket~16%
Recurring software, upgrades, service contracts, connected worker products, and installed-base support.
Kia
- Global Vehicle Sales
primary revenue source
Kia generates most revenue from selling SUVs, passenger cars, hybrids, EVs, and commercial vehicles through regional subsidiaries, importers, dealers, and fleet channels.
- Parts, Service, and Accessories
recurring support revenue
Genuine parts, aftersales service, accessories, and warranty-related activity provide higher-repeat revenue tied to Kia's installed vehicle base.
- Future Mobility and PBVs
emerging growth area
Dedicated EVs, software-defined vehicles, purpose-built vehicles, and connected services support Kia's longer-term mobility strategy.
Business model and strategy
Honeywell
How it makes money
Honeywell Technologies makes money by selling and servicing automation systems for three end markets. Building Automation sells fire, security, access-control, and building-management systems plus installation and service. Industrial Automation sells sensors, gas detection, and control products.
Growth strategy
Honeywell's growth plan is to concentrate capital on automation. Since 2023 it has spent about $11.5 billion on acquisitions such as Carrier's Access Solutions business, Air Products' LNG process business, Sundyne, Compressor Controls, SCADAfence, Li-ion Tamer, and Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technologies, while selling lower-fit units (PPE in 2025, WWS and PSS in 2026).
Competitive advantage
Honeywell's edge is its installed base. Decades of control systems in refineries, LNG plants, and commercial buildings create switching costs, because replacing a distributed control system or a fire and life-safety network is risky and expensive.
Kia
How it makes money
Kia makes money mainly by building and selling vehicles wholesale to its regional sales subsidiaries, importers and franchised dealers, which then sell to retail and fleet buyers. SUVs and RVs such as the Sportage, Sorento, Seltos, Carnival and Telluride make up most of the mix and earn more per unit than small sedans.
Growth strategy
Kia's current strategy, set out at the 2026 CEO Investor Day, uses several powertrains instead of only EVs. It plans to grow EVs (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, EV9 and later models) and hybrids together, add a PBV line of modular electric vans starting with the PV5, and build up software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving and robotics as longer-term businesses.
Competitive advantage
Kia's main advantages are its scale inside Hyundai Motor Group and the way it can switch powertrains easily. Sharing platforms, the E-GMP 800V EV architecture, batteries, chips and logistics (Hyundai Glovis) with Hyundai lowers development and purchasing costs. Factories in Korea, the US (Georgia), Mexico, Slovakia and India let Kia shift production between combustion, hybrid and electric models.
Questions about Honeywell vs Kia
Which company has higher revenue — Honeywell Technologies or Kia Corporation?
Honeywell Technologies reported $37.4B (FY2025), while Kia Corporation reported ~$81B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Kia Corporation is the larger business, with Honeywell Technologies reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Honeywell Technologies vs Kia Corporation?
Honeywell Technologies's market capitalisation stands at $67.4B, while Kia Corporation's is $32.4B. Honeywell Technologies carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Kia Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — Honeywell Technologies or Kia Corporation?
Honeywell Technologies generates $749k / employee in revenue per employee, while Kia Corporation generates $1.52M / employee. Kia Corporation shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Honeywell Technologies and Kia Corporation make money?
Honeywell Technologies and Kia Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Honeywell Technologies: Honeywell Technologies makes money by selling and servicing automation systems for three end markets. Kia Corporation: Kia makes money mainly by building and selling vehicles wholesale to its regional sales subsidiaries, importers and franchised dealers, which then sell to retail and fleet buyers.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Honeywell Technologies or Kia Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Honeywell Technologies trades at 1.8x P/S and Kia Corporation at 0.4x P/S. Honeywell Technologies commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Kia Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Honeywell Technologies bigger than Kia Corporation?
By last reported revenue, Kia Corporation (~$81B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Honeywell Technologies ($37.4B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Honeywell vs Kia overview