NDSN vs AME vs RBC Stock Comparison

Nordson, Ametek and RBC Bearings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
NDSN Nordson Corp
$326.02 -1.6% 1M +38.5% 1Y
Market cap
$18.16B
P/E
32.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
1.04%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins
AME Ametek Inc/
$248.29 -1.4% 1M +34.1% 1Y
Market cap
$56.92B
P/E
36.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.86B
Div. yield
0.54%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins
RBC RBC Bearings INC
$484.54 -4.0% 1M +18.7% 1Y
Market cap
$15.88B
P/E
47.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Nordson leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Nordson 6, Ametek 4, RBC Bearings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNDSNAMERBCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.16B $56.92B $15.88B AME
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.7x 36.1x 47.7x NDSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.3x 30.3x 34.7x NDSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +12.7% +17.3% RBC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 18.6% 20.0% 16.4% AME
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.1% 12.8% 8.4% NDSN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 0.6x 1.1x AME
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.04% 0.54% 0.00% NDSN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +38.5% +34.1% +18.7% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.1%/yr +13.4%/yr +15.7%/yr RBC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.2% 23.9% 28.3% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 63/100 54/100 AME

Percentile Scorecard

NDSNAMERBC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisNDSNAMERBC
Valuation 30 #143 of 203 18 #166 of 203 15 #172 of 203
Growth 57 #82 of 188 62 #73 of 188 90 #19 of 188
Profitability 97 #6 of 184 94 #12 of 184 77 #43 of 184
Financial Health 56 #97 of 217 70 #65 of 217 71 #64 of 217
Shareholder Returns 54 #71 of 153 70 #47 of 153 18 #126 of 153
Overall 59 63 54
  • NDSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • AME ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • RBC ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodNDSNAMERBCSPY
1 month -1.6%-1.4%-4.0% +0.9%
3 months +10.5%+5.5%-12.0% +5.9%
6 months +16.3%+9.0%-17.1% +8.5%
Year to date +35.6%+20.9%+8.1% +13.3%
1 year +38.5%+34.1%+18.7% +12.4%
3 years +53.7%+78.3%+124.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year +15.4%+21.3%+30.9% +23.5%
5 years +28.2%+87.5%+107.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year +5.1%+13.4%+15.7% +11.0%
10 years +229.6%+462.6%+591.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year +12.7%+18.9%+21.3% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureNDSNAMERBCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.2%23.9%28.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.3%22.8%29.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.880.981.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.741.430.66 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.9%-27.3%-35.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.6%-4.0%-25.3% -0.9%
52-week high $334.70$258.54$648.89 $779.14
52-week low $226.69$184.19$406.45 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleNDSNAMERBC
P/E now vs peer median 32.7xmedian 25.4x 36.1xmedian 25.4x 47.7xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 1.9x 7.2xmedian 1.9x 8.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.3xmedian 14.3x 23.8xmedian 14.3x 27.7xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 21.8x 31.2xmedian 21.8x 41.2xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 5.6xmedian 2.2x 5.1xmedian 2.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 7.43median 1.41 4.15median 1.41 2.03median 1.41

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsNDSNAMERBC
Revenue $2.98B $7.86B $1.95B
Gross profit $1.65B $2.86B $882.80M
Operating income $800.96M $2.04B $460.70M
Net income $555.18M $1.58B $320.60M
Free cash flow $724.01M $1.82B $385.20M
EPS (diluted) $9.91 $6.86 $10.11
Cash & equivalents $113.43M $495.45M $124.50M
Total debt $1.73B $2.04B $806.20M
Shares (diluted) 56.03M 229.86M 31.71M
Enterprise value $17.71B $55.05B $15.50B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricNDSNAMERBC
P/E 32.7x 36.1x 47.7x
P/FCF 25.1x 31.2x 41.2x
P/Operating cash flow 23.5x 29.0x 34.0x
P/S 6.1x 7.2x 8.1x
P/B 5.6x 5.1x 4.6x
P/Tangible book 6.9x 8.1x 7.5x
EV/EBITDA 21.3x 23.8x 27.7x
EV/EBIT 24.7x 28.7x 35.9x
EV/Revenue 6.6x 7.4x 8.5x
EV/FCF 27.3x 32.0x 43.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.6x 29.8x 35.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 7.43 4.15 2.03

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNDSNAMERBC
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 12.7% 17.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.7% 7.0% 9.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 13.4% 19.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 7.9% 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.4% 11.2% 23.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 8.2% 13.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 22.0% 9.6% 26.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.5% 8.5% 21.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 23.5% 10.4% 29.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 8.7% 23.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 26.2% 8.1% 47.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 11.0% 27.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 33.3% 8.4% 48.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 12.0% 28.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNDSNAMERBC
Gross margin 55.3% 36.4% 45.2%
EBITDA margin 31.2% 31.2% 30.6%
Operating margin 26.9% 25.9% 23.6%
Pretax margin 22.6% 24.3% 21.1%
Net margin 18.6% 20.0% 16.4%
FCF margin 24.3% 23.2% 19.7%
Operating cash flow margin 26.0% 24.9% 23.9%
Return on equity 17.2% 14.2% 9.4%
Return on assets 9.3% 9.6% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 13.1% 12.8% 8.4%
Return on capital employed 15.3% 14.8% 9.9%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.6% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNDSNAMERBC
Debt / assets 29.1% 12.3% 15.5%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.2x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 0.6x 1.1x
Debt / FCF 2.4x 1.1x 2.1x
Liabilities / assets 45.0% 32.1% 33.4%
Equity / assets 55.0% 67.9% 66.6%
Interest coverage 8.8x 21.1x 4.4x
Current ratio 1.8x 1.2x 2.5x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.6x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 6.28 8.41 6.83

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNDSNAMERBC
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 1.1% 0.7% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.1% 1.2% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 33.0% 18.9% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 25.3% 16.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.3% 9.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 11.3% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusNDSNAMERBC
Forward P/E 29.3xFY2026 30.3xFY2026 34.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.14FY2026 $8.20FY2026 $13.97FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.8%FY2026 +10.4%FY2026 +12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.5% +8.4% +13.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.19BFY2026 $7.96BFY2026 $2.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.3%FY2026 +7.5%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.7% +18.3% +24.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNDSNAMERBC
Held by institutions 76.0% 89.6% 95.3%
Institutions holding 755 1,195 685
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.1% +2.3% +1.5%
Institutions buying 389 615 360
Institutions selling 240 399 240
Buyers to sellers 1.62 1.54 1.50

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

NDSNAMERBC
NDSN 1.00 0.59 0.46
AME 0.59 1.00 0.65
RBC 0.46 0.65 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NDSN, AME and RBC?

Ametek (AME) is the largest by market capitalisation: Nordson (NDSN) $18.16B, Ametek (AME) $56.92B, RBC Bearings (RBC) $15.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, NDSN, AME and RBC?

Nordson (NDSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Nordson (NDSN) 32.7x, Ametek (AME) 36.1x, RBC Bearings (RBC) 47.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nordson (NDSN) is cheapest (Nordson (NDSN) 29.3x, Ametek (AME) 30.3x, RBC Bearings (RBC) 34.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

RBC Bearings (RBC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%, Ametek (AME) +12.7%, RBC Bearings (RBC) +17.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ametek (AME) has the highest net margin (Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%, Ametek (AME) 20.0%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 16.4%). On return on invested capital, Nordson (NDSN) leads (Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%, Ametek (AME) 12.8%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 8.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: Nordson (NDSN) +38.5%, Ametek (AME) +34.1%, RBC Bearings (RBC) +18.7%. Over five years, RBC Bearings (RBC) compounded fastest (Nordson (NDSN) +5.1%/yr, Ametek (AME) +13.4%/yr, RBC Bearings (RBC) +15.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest dividend yield: Nordson (NDSN) 1.04%, Ametek (AME) 0.54%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 0.00%. RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%, Ametek (AME) 23.9%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 28.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NDSN, AME and RBC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Nordson (NDSN) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.