Diversified manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. said on Thursday quarterly net profit rose 17 percent, boosted by strong demand from the aerospace and construction industries.

Honeywell, the world's largest maker of cockpit electronics, reported second-quarter profit of $611 million, or 78 cents per diluted share, compared with $521 million, or 63 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 8 percent.

Analysts, on average, had expected profit of 76 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

Results at the company, which also makes heating and ventilation systems for homes and industrial buildings, were helped by strong investment in commercial construction, both in the United States and abroad.

So far this year, Honeywell shares are up 33.8 percent, ahead of the 11.7 percent rise of the Dow Jones industrial average, of which it is a component.

(Reporting by Scott Malone)

Electronics