NDSN vs ROK vs SYM Stock Comparison

Nordson, Rockwell Automation and Symbotic Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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NDSN Nordson Corp
$324.30 -0.5% 1M +36.1% 1Y
Market cap
$18.08B
P/E
32.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
7 wins
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$439.20 +1.1% 1M +21.5% 1Y
Market cap
$49.19B
P/E
41.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
3 wins
SYM Symbotic Inc.
$38.98 -10.3% 1M -44.9% 1Y
Market cap
$4.98B
P/E
606.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.65B
Div. yield
0.00%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Nordson leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Nordson 7, Rockwell Automation 3, Symbotic 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNDSNROKSYMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.08B $49.19B $4.98B ROK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.6x 41.0x 606.3x NDSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.1x 35.1x 205.2x NDSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +11.3% +20.6% SYM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 18.6% 13.4% 0.3% NDSN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.1% 21.0% — ROK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 1.3x — ROK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% NDSN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +36.1% +21.5% -44.9% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.3%/yr +6.6%/yr +31.4%/yr SYM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.2% 31.3% 78.7% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 53/100 46/100 NDSN

Percentile Scorecard

NDSNROKSYM

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

AxisNDSNROKSYM
Valuation 30 #142 of 203 16 #170 of 203 10 #182 of 203
Growth 55 #85 of 188 50 #94 of 188 99 #3 of 188
Profitability 96 #8 of 183 96 #9 of 183 39 #112 of 183
Financial Health 54 #101 of 217 32 #147 of 217 42 #126 of 217
Shareholder Returns 51 #76 of 153 72 #44 of 153 40 #92 of 153
Overall 57 53 46
  • NDSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • SYM ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodNDSNROKSYMSPY
1 month -0.5%+1.1%-10.3% -0.2%
3 months +7.2%-6.8%-7.9% +3.9%
6 months +15.1%+9.4%-31.7% +8.2%
Year to date +34.9%+12.9%-34.5% +12.9%
1 year +36.1%+21.5%-44.9% +12.3%
3 years +52.9%+67.6%+10.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +15.2%+18.8%+3.3% +23.3%
5 years +29.2%+37.8%+291.8% +67.9%
5 years, per year +5.3%+6.6%+31.4% +10.9%
10 years +225.5%+271.5%— +261.1%
10 years, per year +12.5%+14.0%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureNDSNROKSYMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.2%31.3%78.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.2%31.8%80.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.881.402.91 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.620.69-0.57 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.9%-45.6%-72.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.1%-11.3%-55.3% -1.2%
52-week high $334.70$495.08$87.30 $779.14
52-week low $226.69$348.51$37.90 $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.

MultipleNDSNROKSYM
P/E now vs peer median 32.5xmedian 25.2x 40.6xmedian 25.2x 608.2xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 1.9x 5.4xmedian 1.9x 8.9xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.2xmedian 14.0x 24.6xmedian 14.0x 563.4xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.9xmedian 21.7x 32.4xmedian 21.7x 29.6xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 5.5xmedian 2.3x 14.0xmedian 2.3x 20.8xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 7.39median 1.32 -9.25median 1.32 20.85median 1.32

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 monthsNDSNROKSYM
Revenue $2.98B $8.97B $2.65B
Gross profit $1.65B $4.41B $563.25M
Operating income $800.96M $1.77B -$250.00K
Net income $555.18M $1.20B $34.64M
Free cash flow $724.01M $1.50B $795.43M
R&D – $716.00M $203.12M
EPS (diluted) $9.91 $10.76 $0.06
Cash & equivalents $113.43M $479.00M $1.75B
Total debt $1.73B $13.81B –
Shares (diluted) 56.03M 111.60M 133.25M
Enterprise value $17.63B $47.37B -$1.84B

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
MetricNDSNROKSYM
P/E 32.5x 40.6x 608.2x
P/FCF 24.9x 32.4x 29.6x
P/Operating cash flow 23.4x 28.2x 26.3x
P/S 6.1x 5.4x 8.9x
P/B 5.5x 14.0x 20.8x
P/Tangible book 6.8x 17.5x 22.4x
EV/EBITDA 21.2x 24.6x 563.4x
EV/EBIT 24.6x 29.1x -87,169x
EV/Revenue 6.6x 5.7x 8.2x
EV/FCF 27.2x 34.3x 27.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.4x 29.8x 24.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 7.39 -9.25 20.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNDSNROKSYM
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 11.3% 20.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.7% 1.3% 40.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 1.9% 40.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 7.5% 51.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.4% -7.1% 99.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 2.9% 89.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 22.0% 23.8% 208.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.5% -5.5% 29.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 23.5% 25.2% 210.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.4% -4.4% 29.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 26.2% 13.8% 400.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 22.8% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 33.3% 13.9% 594.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 23.6% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNDSNROKSYM
Gross margin 55.3% 49.1% 21.3%
EBITDA margin 31.2% 23.3% 1.5%
Operating margin 26.9% 19.7% 0.0%
Pretax margin 22.6% 14.7% 2.4%
Net margin 18.6% 13.4% 0.3%
FCF margin 24.3% 16.8% 30.1%
Operating cash flow margin 26.0% 19.3% 33.8%
Return on equity 17.2% 30.9% 3.2%
Return on assets 9.3% 9.8% 1.0%
Return on invested capital 13.1% 21.0% –
Return on capital employed 15.3% 23.6% 0.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 25.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 1.0% 8.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNDSNROKSYM
Debt / assets 29.1% 29.4% –
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.9x –
Net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 1.3x –
Debt / FCF 2.4x 2.2x –
Liabilities / assets 45.0% 68.5% 67.8%
Equity / assets 55.0% 31.5% 32.2%
Interest coverage 8.8x 12.8x –
Current ratio 1.8x 1.1x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.7x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.1x 0.8x
Altman Z-score 6.26 5.96 6.38

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNDSNROKSYM
Dividend yield 1.0% 1.3% –
Net buyback yield 1.1% 1.4% -1.8%
Shareholder yield 2.1% 2.7% -1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 33.0% – 3.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 25.3% – 0.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.3% – -30.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.2% – –

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.

ConsensusNDSNROKSYM
Forward P/E 29.1xFY2026 35.1xFY2026 205.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.14FY2026 $12.50FY2026 $0.19FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.8%FY2026 +18.7%FY2026 -17.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.5% +12.3% +131.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.19BFY2026 $8.50BFY2026 $2.86BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.3%FY2026 +1.9%FY2026 +27.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.7% +19.4% +18.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNDSNROKSYM
Held by institutions 76.0% 89.2% 90.0%
Institutions holding 755 1,540 412
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.1% +3.5% +2.6%
Institutions buying 389 805 260
Institutions selling 240 437 85
Buyers to sellers 1.62 1.84 3.06

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.

NDSNROKSYM
NDSN 1.00 0.52 0.32
ROK 0.52 1.00 0.37
SYM 0.32 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NDSN, ROK and SYM?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Nordson (NDSN) $18.08B, Rockwell Automation (ROK) $49.19B, Symbotic (SYM) $4.98B.

Which stock is cheaper, NDSN, ROK and SYM?

Nordson (NDSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Nordson (NDSN) 32.6x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 41.0x, Symbotic (SYM) 606.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nordson (NDSN) is cheapest (Nordson (NDSN) 29.1x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 35.1x, Symbotic (SYM) 205.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Symbotic (SYM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Symbotic (SYM) +20.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest net margin (Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Symbotic (SYM) 0.3%). On return on invested capital, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads (Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: Nordson (NDSN) +36.1%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +21.5%, Symbotic (SYM) -44.9%. Over five years, Symbotic (SYM) compounded fastest (Nordson (NDSN) +5.3%/yr, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.6%/yr, Symbotic (SYM) +31.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest dividend yield: Nordson (NDSN) 0.01%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 0.00%, Symbotic (SYM) 0.00%. Rockwell Automation (ROK) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.3%, Symbotic (SYM) 78.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 7. 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.