RBC vs ROK vs NDSN Stock Comparison

RBC Bearings, Rockwell Automation and Nordson Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
RBC RBC Bearings INC
$484.54 -4.0% 1M +18.7% 1Y
Market cap
$15.59B
P/E
48.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
3 wins
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$444.02 +3.0% 1M +22.7% 1Y
Market cap
$49.96B
P/E
41.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins
NDSN Nordson Corp
$326.02 -1.6% 1M +38.5% 1Y
Market cap
$18.40B
P/E
33.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Nordson leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Nordson 6, RBC Bearings 3, Rockwell Automation 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionRBCROKNDSNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.59B $49.96B $18.40B ROK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 48.6x 41.6x 33.1x NDSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.7x 35.5x 29.3x NDSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.3% +11.3% +7.0% RBC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.4% 13.4% 18.6% NDSN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.4% 21.0% 13.1% ROK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 1.3x 1.7x RBC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +18.7% +22.7% +38.5% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.7%/yr +6.8%/yr +5.1%/yr RBC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.3% 31.3% 22.2% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 54/100 59/100 NDSN

Percentile Scorecard

RBCROKNDSN

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

AxisRBCROKNDSN
Valuation 15 #172 of 203 16 #170 of 203 30 #143 of 203
Growth 90 #19 of 188 51 #93 of 188 57 #82 of 188
Profitability 77 #43 of 184 96 #9 of 184 97 #6 of 184
Financial Health 71 #64 of 217 34 #143 of 217 56 #97 of 217
Shareholder Returns 18 #126 of 153 74 #41 of 153 54 #71 of 153
Overall 54 54 59
  • RBC ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • NDSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodRBCROKNDSNSPY
1 month -4.0%+3.0%-1.6% +0.9%
3 months -12.0%-3.3%+10.5% +5.9%
6 months -17.1%+10.9%+16.3% +8.5%
Year to date +8.1%+14.1%+35.6% +13.3%
1 year +18.7%+22.7%+38.5% +12.4%
3 years +124.2%+69.5%+53.7% +88.1%
3 years, per year +30.9%+19.2%+15.4% +23.5%
5 years +107.1%+39.0%+28.2% +68.2%
5 years, per year +15.7%+6.8%+5.1% +11.0%
10 years +591.1%+273.8%+229.6% +263.4%
10 years, per year +21.3%+14.1%+12.7% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureRBCROKNDSNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.3%31.3%22.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.2%31.8%21.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.131.400.88 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.660.721.74 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.5%-45.6%-39.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -25.3%-10.3%-2.6% -0.9%
52-week high $648.89$495.08$334.70 $779.14
52-week low $406.45$348.51$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.

MultipleRBCROKNDSN
P/E now vs peer median 47.7xmedian 25.4x 41.1xmedian 25.4x 32.7xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 1.9x 5.5xmedian 1.9x 6.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 14.3x 24.9xmedian 14.3x 21.3xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 41.2xmedian 21.8x 32.8xmedian 21.8x 25.1xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 2.2x 14.1xmedian 2.2x 5.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.03median 1.41 -9.36median 1.41 7.43median 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 monthsRBCROKNDSN
Revenue $1.95B $8.97B $2.98B
Gross profit $882.80M $4.41B $1.65B
Operating income $460.70M $1.77B $800.96M
Net income $320.60M $1.20B $555.18M
Free cash flow $385.20M $1.50B $724.01M
R&D – $716.00M –
EPS (diluted) $10.11 $10.76 $9.91
Cash & equivalents $124.50M $479.00M $113.43M
Total debt $806.20M $13.81B $1.73B
Shares (diluted) 31.71M 111.60M 56.03M
Enterprise value $15.21B $48.15B $17.96B

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
MetricRBCROKNDSN
P/E 47.7x 41.1x 32.7x
P/FCF 41.2x 32.8x 25.1x
P/Operating cash flow 34.0x 28.5x 23.5x
P/S 8.1x 5.5x 6.1x
P/B 4.6x 14.1x 5.6x
P/Tangible book 7.5x 17.7x 6.9x
EV/EBITDA 27.7x 24.9x 21.3x
EV/EBIT 35.9x 29.4x 24.7x
EV/Revenue 8.5x 5.8x 6.6x
EV/FCF 43.0x 34.6x 27.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.4x 30.1x 25.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.03 -9.36 7.43

Growth

14 metrics
MetricRBCROKNDSN
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.3% 11.3% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.2% 1.3% 4.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 19.7% 1.9% 8.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.8% 7.5% 5.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.3% -7.1% 18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.7% 2.9% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 26.6% 23.8% 22.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.4% -5.5% 3.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 29.3% 25.2% 23.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 23.5% -4.4% 4.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 47.8% 13.8% 26.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.9% 22.8% 5.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 48.3% 13.9% 33.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.3% 23.6% 5.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricRBCROKNDSN
Gross margin 45.2% 49.1% 55.3%
EBITDA margin 30.6% 23.3% 31.2%
Operating margin 23.6% 19.7% 26.9%
Pretax margin 21.1% 14.7% 22.6%
Net margin 16.4% 13.4% 18.6%
FCF margin 19.7% 16.8% 24.3%
Operating cash flow margin 23.9% 19.3% 26.0%
Return on equity 9.4% 30.9% 17.2%
Return on assets 6.2% 9.8% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 8.4% 21.0% 13.1%
Return on capital employed 9.9% 23.6% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.4x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 1.0% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricRBCROKNDSN
Debt / assets 15.5% 29.4% 29.1%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.9x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 1.3x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 2.1x 2.2x 2.4x
Liabilities / assets 33.4% 68.5% 45.0%
Equity / assets 66.6% 31.5% 55.0%
Interest coverage 4.4x 12.8x 8.8x
Current ratio 2.5x 1.1x 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.7x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 6.83 6.00 6.28

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricRBCROKNDSN
Dividend yield – 1.2% 1.0%
Net buyback yield -0.1% 1.4% 1.1%
Shareholder yield -0.1% 2.7% 2.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 33.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 25.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 3.3%
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.

ConsensusRBCROKNDSN
Forward P/E 34.7xFY2026 35.5xFY2026 29.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.97FY2026 $12.50FY2026 $11.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +12.8%FY2026 +18.7%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.4% +12.3% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.00BFY2026 $8.50BFY2026 $3.19BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.8%FY2026 +1.9%FY2026 +14.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +24.1% +19.4% +5.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersRBCROKNDSN
Held by institutions 95.3% 89.2% 76.0%
Institutions holding 685 1,541 755
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% +3.5% +3.1%
Institutions buying 360 806 389
Institutions selling 240 437 240
Buyers to sellers 1.50 1.84 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.

RBCROKNDSN
RBC 1.00 0.51 0.46
ROK 0.51 1.00 0.53
NDSN 0.46 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, RBC, ROK and NDSN?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) is the largest by market capitalisation: RBC Bearings (RBC) $15.59B, Rockwell Automation (ROK) $49.96B, Nordson (NDSN) $18.40B.

Which stock is cheaper, RBC, ROK and NDSN?

Nordson (NDSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (RBC Bearings (RBC) 48.6x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 41.6x, Nordson (NDSN) 33.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nordson (NDSN) is cheapest (RBC Bearings (RBC) 34.7x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 35.5x, Nordson (NDSN) 29.3x). 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) +17.3%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest net margin (RBC Bearings (RBC) 16.4%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%). On return on invested capital, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads (RBC Bearings (RBC) 8.4%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: RBC Bearings (RBC) +18.7%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +22.7%, Nordson (NDSN) +38.5%. Over five years, RBC Bearings (RBC) compounded fastest (RBC Bearings (RBC) +15.7%/yr, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.8%/yr, Nordson (NDSN) +5.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: RBC Bearings (RBC) 0.00%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 0.00%, Nordson (NDSN) 0.01%. RBC Bearings (RBC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (RBC Bearings (RBC) 28.3%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.3%, Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, RBC, ROK 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, 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.