RBC vs MMM vs NDSN Stock Comparison

RBC Bearings, 3M and Nordson Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (MTD) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
RBC RBC Bearings INC
$478.28 -6.7% 1M +11.9% 1Y
Market cap
$14.95B
P/E
42.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.02B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
3 wins
MMM 3M Co
$194.02 +18.9% 1M +20.8% 1Y
Market cap
$99.41B
P/E
28.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.25B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins
NDSN Nordson Corp
$330.70 -1.1% 1M +43.6% 1Y
Market cap
$17.86B
P/E
32.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

3M leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (3M 5, Nordson 4, RBC Bearings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionRBCMMMNDSNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $14.95B $99.41B $17.86B MMM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 42.2x 28.1x 32.2x MMM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.2x 21.8x 29.7x MMM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.4% +1.7% +7.0% RBC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.5% 14.0% 18.6% NDSN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.1% 22.0% 13.1% MMM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 1.6x 1.7x RBC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.01% MMM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +11.9% +20.8% +43.6% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.0%/yr +5.0%/yr +4.8%/yr RBC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.6% 27.2% 22.3% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 48/100 57/100 NDSN

Percentile Scorecard

RBCMMMNDSN

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

AxisRBCMMMNDSN
Valuation 16 #172 of 204 29 #145 of 204 25 #153 of 204
Growth 90 #20 of 191 63 #72 of 191 58 #80 of 191
Profitability 77 #44 of 189 87 #25 of 189 96 #8 of 189
Financial Health 74 #58 of 221 19 #179 of 221 55 #101 of 221
Shareholder Returns 17 #133 of 159 40 #96 of 159 52 #77 of 159
Overall 55 48 57
  • RBC ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • MMM ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • NDSN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodRBCMMMNDSNSPY
1 month -6.7%+18.9%-1.1% -1.0%
3 months -16.3%+6.6%+6.4% -0.4%
6 months -23.3%+32.4%+15.3% +4.5%
Year to date +6.7%+21.2%+37.5% +12.4%
1 year +11.9%+20.8%+43.6% +13.6%
3 years +117.0%+147.2%+49.3% +76.4%
3 years, per year +29.5%+35.2%+14.3% +20.8%
5 years +101.4%+27.6%+26.6% +63.7%
5 years, per year +15.0%+5.0%+4.8% +10.4%
10 years +580.1%+39.4%+242.9% +267.7%
10 years, per year +21.1%+3.4%+13.1% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureRBCMMMNDSNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.6%27.2%22.3% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.7%24.5%21.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.130.770.88 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.400.761.95 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.5%-53.4%-39.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.3%0.0%-1.2% -1.6%
52-week high $648.89$194.02$334.70 $779.14
52-week low $423.39$141.20$226.69 $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.

MultipleRBCMMMNDSN
P/E now vs peer median 42.6xmedian 25.5x 28.5xmedian 25.5x 33.2xmedian 25.5x
P/S now vs peer median 7.7xmedian 1.9x 4.0xmedian 1.9x 6.2xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.8xmedian 14.4x 17.9xmedian 14.4x 21.6xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 39.3xmedian 23.3x 37.5xmedian 23.3x 25.4xmedian 23.3x
P/B now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 2.2x 24.0xmedian 2.2x 5.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.66median 1.16 0.79median 1.16 7.54median 1.16

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 monthsRBCMMMNDSN
Revenue $2.02B $25.25B $2.98B
Gross profit $921.20M $9.98B $1.65B
Operating income $494.50M $4.74B $800.96M
Net income $354.40M $3.58B $555.18M
Free cash flow $399.20M $2.68B $724.01M
R&D – $1.21B –
EPS (diluted) $11.17 $6.77 $9.91
Cash & equivalents $89.30M $4.84B $113.43M
Total debt $710.50M $15.00B $1.73B
Shares (diluted) 31.71M 522.60M 56.03M
Enterprise value $14.57B $80.85B $17.42B

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
MetricRBCMMMNDSN
P/E 42.6x 28.5x 33.2x
P/FCF 39.3x 37.5x 25.4x
P/Operating cash flow 32.3x 27.6x 23.8x
P/S 7.7x 4.0x 6.2x
P/B 4.4x 24.0x 5.6x
P/Tangible book 7.1x 47.4x 7.0x
EV/EBITDA 25.8x 17.9x 21.6x
EV/EBIT 32.9x 23.3x 25.0x
EV/Revenue 8.1x 4.4x 6.7x
EV/FCF 40.8x 41.1x 27.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 33.6x 30.3x 25.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.66 0.79 7.54

Growth

14 metrics
MetricRBCMMMNDSN
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.4% 1.7% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.0% 10.7% 4.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 20.6% -1.8% 8.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.5% 17.0% 5.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 28.4% -3.7% 18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 33.4% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 36.8% 4.8% 22.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.7% 35.4% 3.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.9% 7.1% 23.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 25.6% 35.8% 4.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.3% 42.8% 26.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.3% -18.1% 5.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 31.1% 68.6% 33.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.1% -18.0% 5.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricRBCMMMNDSN
Gross margin 45.5% 39.5% 55.3%
EBITDA margin 31.2% 24.4% 31.2%
Operating margin 24.4% 18.8% 26.9%
Pretax margin 22.3% 17.5% 22.6%
Net margin 17.5% 14.0% 18.6%
FCF margin 19.7% 10.6% 24.3%
Operating cash flow margin 24.0% 14.4% 26.0%
Return on equity 10.1% 101.3% 17.2%
Return on assets 6.8% 9.8% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 9.1% 22.0% 13.1%
Return on capital employed 10.3% 18.7% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.7x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.0x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.8% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricRBCMMMNDSN
Debt / assets 13.7% 37.9% 29.1%
Debt / equity 0.2x 3.6x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 1.6x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 1.8x 5.6x 2.4x
Liabilities / assets 31.4% 89.5% 45.0%
Equity / assets 68.6% 10.5% 55.0%
Interest coverage 4.1x – 8.8x
Current ratio 3.1x 1.4x 1.8x
Quick ratio 1.1x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.4x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 7.18 4.28 6.34

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricRBCMMMNDSN
Dividend yield – 1.6% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 0.0% 2.7% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 0.0% 4.3% 2.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 44.8% 33.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 59.9% 25.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.2% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -21.4% 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.

ConsensusRBCMMMNDSN
Forward P/E 34.2xFY2026 21.8xFY2026 29.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.97FY2026 $8.88FY2026 $11.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +12.8%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.4% +16.7% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.00BFY2026 $23.87BFY2026 $3.19BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.8%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026 +14.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +24.1% +17.6% +5.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersRBCMMMNDSN
Held by institutions 95.3% 74.5% 76.0%
Institutions holding 687 2,212 757
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% +0.8% +3.1%
Institutions buying 362 916 390
Institutions selling 240 839 241
Buyers to sellers 1.51 1.09 1.62

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.

RBCMMMNDSN
RBC 1.00 0.23 0.48
MMM 0.23 1.00 0.44
NDSN 0.48 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, RBC, MMM and NDSN?

3M (MMM) is the largest by market capitalisation: RBC Bearings (RBC) $14.95B, 3M (MMM) $99.41B, Nordson (NDSN) $17.86B.

Which stock is cheaper, RBC, MMM and NDSN?

3M (MMM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (RBC Bearings (RBC) 42.2x, 3M (MMM) 28.1x, Nordson (NDSN) 32.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, 3M (MMM) is cheapest (RBC Bearings (RBC) 34.2x, 3M (MMM) 21.8x, Nordson (NDSN) 29.7x). 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: RBC Bearings (RBC) +17.4%, 3M (MMM) +1.7%, Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest net margin (RBC Bearings (RBC) 17.5%, 3M (MMM) 14.0%, Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%). On return on invested capital, 3M (MMM) leads (RBC Bearings (RBC) 9.1%, 3M (MMM) 22.0%, Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: RBC Bearings (RBC) +11.9%, 3M (MMM) +20.8%, Nordson (NDSN) +43.6%. Over five years, RBC Bearings (RBC) compounded fastest (RBC Bearings (RBC) +15.0%/yr, 3M (MMM) +5.0%/yr, Nordson (NDSN) +4.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

3M (MMM) has the highest dividend yield: RBC Bearings (RBC) 0.00%, 3M (MMM) 0.02%, Nordson (NDSN) 0.01%. RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (RBC Bearings (RBC) 29.6%, 3M (MMM) 27.2%, Nordson (NDSN) 22.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, 3M (MMM) leads on 5. 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.