US STOCKS-Wall St to open flat as Honeywell, Aetna weigh

                                
 * Honeywell profit meets views, but company trims outlook
                                
 * Boeing off after downgrade
                                
 * New home sales data on tap
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news click [STXNEWS/US]
 (Updates prices)
                                
 By Ellis Mnyandu
                                
 NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were poised to
open little changed on Monday as reduced outlooks from
diversified manufacturer Honeywell Inc <HON.N> and health
insurer Aetna Inc <AET.N> sparked caution.
                                
 Honeywell shares fell 2.5 percent to $33.18 before the bell
after the company cut its full-year profit forecast to the
bottom of its prior range. (For details, see [ID:nN27478623])
                                
 No. 3 U.S. health insurer Aetna cut its full-year earnings
outlook due to higher-than-projected medical costs and posted a
28 percent drop in second-quarter net income. The stock slid
10.2 percent to $23.75. [nN27503383]
                                
 With the broader market up nearly 45 percent since it hit
12-year lows in early March, some investors were likely to book
profits as they reassess the sustainability of the latest
run-up.
                                
 "Honeywell said the outlook remains cloudy, setting the
stage for a mixed session today," said Peter Cardillo, chief
market economist at Avalon Partners in New York. "The market
has come up rather sharply, so obviously it is poised for some
profit-taking."
                                
 S&P 500 futures <SPc1> shed 0.50 points and were slightly
above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking
into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration
on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures <DJc1>
dipped 10 points, and Nasdaq 100 <NDc1> futures rose 1 point.
                                
 Boeing Co <BA.N was set to be among the market's top drags
after Barclays cut its rating on the planemaker's shares. The
stock dropped nearly 1 percent to $42 before the bell.
                                
 In other earnings-related news, Verizon Communications Inc
<VZ.N>, the biggest U.S. mobile service service, posted a
smaller quarterly profit, but revenue rose due to wireless
subscriber growth and its purchase earlier this year of rural
wireless operator Alltel. [nN27459880]
                                
 Verizon shares initially rose 7 percent to $31.90, but the
bounce quickly faded, and the stock dipped 1.4 percent to
$31.06.
                                
 A rise in commodity prices along with a weaker U.S. dollar
was set to underpin energy and other natural resource stocks.
Before the bell, shares of global miner Freeport McMoRan Copper
& Gold Inc <FCX.N> climbed 1.3 percent to $60.61.
                                
 New home sales data is due at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT)[ECI/US]
                                
 All three major U.S. stock indexes recorded a second
consecutive weekly gain last week. Since hitting multi-year
lows in early March, the S&P 500 has jumped 44.8 percent, the
Nasdaq has surged almost 55 percent, and the Dow has risen
about 39 percent.
 (Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)