NDSN vs ROK vs FTV Stock Comparison

Nordson, Rockwell Automation and Fortive 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
4 wins
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$444.02 +3.0% 1M +22.7% 1Y
Market cap
$49.31B
P/E
41.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
1.24%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins
FTV Fortive Corp
$64.13 +15.0% 1M +30.5% 1Y
Market cap
$19.12B
P/E
29.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.40B
Div. yield
0.39%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionNDSNROKFTVLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.16B $49.31B $19.12B ROK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.7x 41.1x 29.6x FTV
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.3x 35.5x 20.0x FTV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +11.3% +7.0% ROK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 18.6% 13.4% 14.8% NDSN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.1% 21.0% 8.1% ROK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 1.3x 2.4x ROK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.04% 1.24% 0.39% ROK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +38.5% +22.7% +30.5% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.1%/yr +6.8%/yr -3.3%/yr ROK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.2% 31.3% 27.0% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 54/100 49/100 NDSN

Percentile Scorecard

NDSNROKFTV

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

AxisNDSNROKFTV
Valuation 30 #143 of 203 16 #170 of 203 49 #105 of 203
Growth 57 #82 of 188 51 #93 of 188 25 #141 of 188
Profitability 97 #6 of 184 96 #9 of 184 75 #46 of 184
Financial Health 56 #97 of 217 34 #143 of 217 38 #135 of 217
Shareholder Returns 54 #71 of 153 74 #41 of 153 58 #65 of 153
Overall 59 54 49
  • NDSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • FTV ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodNDSNROKFTVSPY
1 month -1.6%+3.0%+15.0% +0.9%
3 months +10.5%-3.3%+7.7% +5.9%
6 months +16.3%+10.9%+3.9% +8.5%
Year to date +35.6%+14.1%+16.2% +13.3%
1 year +38.5%+22.7%+30.5% +12.4%
3 years +53.7%+69.5%-1.4% +88.1%
3 years, per year +15.4%+19.2%-0.5% +23.5%
5 years +28.2%+39.0%-15.3% +68.2%
5 years, per year +5.1%+6.8%-3.3% +11.0%
10 years +229.6%+273.8%+27.7% +263.4%
10 years, per year +12.7%+14.1%+2.5% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureNDSNROKFTVSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.2%31.3%27.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.3%31.8%26.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.881.400.61 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.740.721.13 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.9%-45.6%-46.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.6%-10.3%0.0% -0.9%
52-week high $334.70$495.08$64.16 $779.14
52-week low $226.69$348.51$49.16 $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.

MultipleNDSNROKFTV
P/E now vs peer median 32.7xmedian 25.4x 41.1xmedian 25.4x 29.6xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 1.9x 5.5xmedian 1.9x 4.3xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.3xmedian 14.3x 24.9xmedian 14.3x 16.9xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 21.8x 32.8xmedian 21.8x 17.6xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 5.6xmedian 2.2x 14.1xmedian 2.2x 3.2xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 7.43median 1.41 -9.36median 1.41 -11.18median 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 monthsNDSNROKFTV
Revenue $2.98B $8.97B $4.40B
Gross profit $1.65B $4.41B $2.79B
Operating income $800.96M $1.77B $863.00M
Net income $555.18M $1.20B $651.90M
Free cash flow $724.01M $1.50B $1.09B
R&D – $716.00M $268.20M
EPS (diluted) $9.91 $10.76 $2.15
Cash & equivalents $113.43M $479.00M $377.30M
Total debt $1.73B $13.81B $3.51B
Shares (diluted) 56.03M 111.60M 303.90M
Enterprise value $17.71B $47.50B $17.64B

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
MetricNDSNROKFTV
P/E 32.7x 41.1x 29.6x
P/FCF 25.1x 32.8x 17.6x
P/Operating cash flow 23.5x 28.5x 15.9x
P/S 6.1x 5.5x 4.3x
P/B 5.6x 14.1x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 6.9x 17.7x 4.7x
EV/EBITDA 21.3x 24.9x 16.9x
EV/EBIT 24.7x 29.4x 25.8x
EV/Revenue 6.6x 5.8x 5.1x
EV/FCF 27.3x 34.6x 20.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.6x 30.1x 18.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 7.43 -9.36 -11.18

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNDSNROKFTV
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 11.3% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.7% 1.3% -9.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 1.9% 6.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 7.5% -7.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.4% -7.1% 22.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 2.9% -8.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 22.0% 23.8% 8.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.5% -5.5% -7.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 23.5% 25.2% 18.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.4% -4.4% -2.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 26.2% 13.8% -1.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 22.8% -4.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 33.3% 13.9% -3.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 23.6% -4.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNDSNROKFTV
Gross margin 55.3% 49.1% 63.5%
EBITDA margin 31.2% 23.3% 29.9%
Operating margin 26.9% 19.7% 19.6%
Pretax margin 22.6% 14.7% 16.8%
Net margin 18.6% 13.4% 14.8%
FCF margin 24.3% 16.8% 24.7%
Operating cash flow margin 26.0% 19.3% 27.3%
Return on equity 17.2% 30.9% 10.8%
Return on assets 9.3% 9.8% 5.6%
Return on invested capital 13.1% 21.0% 8.1%
Return on capital employed 15.3% 23.6% 8.4%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 1.0% 2.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNDSNROKFTV
Debt / assets 29.1% 29.4% 30.6%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.9x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 1.3x 2.4x
Debt / FCF 2.4x 2.2x 3.2x
Liabilities / assets 45.0% 68.5% 48.2%
Equity / assets 55.0% 31.5% 51.8%
Interest coverage 8.8x 12.8x 4.9x
Current ratio 1.8x 1.1x 1.2x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.7x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 6.28 6.00 3.44

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNDSNROKFTV
Dividend yield 1.0% 1.2% 0.4%
Net buyback yield 1.1% 1.4% 6.7%
Shareholder yield 2.1% 2.7% 7.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 33.0% – 11.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) 25.3% – 7.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.3% – -24.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.2% – -8.3%

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.

ConsensusNDSNROKFTV
Forward P/E 29.3xFY2026 35.5xFY2026 20.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.14FY2026 $12.50FY2026 $3.20FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.8%FY2026 +18.7%FY2026 +18.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.5% +12.3% -3.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.19BFY2026 $8.50BFY2026 $4.63BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.3%FY2026 +1.9%FY2026 +11.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.7% +19.4% -6.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNDSNROKFTV
Held by institutions 76.0% 89.2% 100.0%
Institutions holding 755 1,541 803
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.1% +3.5% +2.8%
Institutions buying 389 806 350
Institutions selling 240 437 301
Buyers to sellers 1.62 1.84 1.16

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.

NDSNROKFTV
NDSN 1.00 0.53 0.43
ROK 0.53 1.00 0.36
FTV 0.43 0.36 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NDSN, ROK and FTV?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Nordson (NDSN) $18.16B, Rockwell Automation (ROK) $49.31B, Fortive (FTV) $19.12B.

Which stock is cheaper, NDSN, ROK and FTV?

Fortive (FTV) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Nordson (NDSN) 32.7x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 41.1x, Fortive (FTV) 29.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Fortive (FTV) is cheapest (Nordson (NDSN) 29.3x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 35.5x, Fortive (FTV) 20.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Fortive (FTV) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest net margin (Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Fortive (FTV) 14.8%). On return on invested capital, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads (Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Fortive (FTV) 8.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: Nordson (NDSN) +38.5%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +22.7%, Fortive (FTV) +30.5%. Over five years, Rockwell Automation (ROK) compounded fastest (Nordson (NDSN) +5.1%/yr, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.8%/yr, Fortive (FTV) -3.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) has the highest dividend yield: Nordson (NDSN) 1.04%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 1.24%, Fortive (FTV) 0.39%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.3%, Fortive (FTV) 27.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NDSN, ROK and FTV?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 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.