Stocks opened little changed on Monday as reduced outlooks from diversified manufacturer Honeywell Inc and health insurer Aetna Inc sparked caution.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 21.38 points, or 0.24 percent, to 9,071.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 2.22 points, or 0.23 percent, to 977.04. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 2.41 points, or 0.12 percent, to 1,963.55.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)