ROK vs AME vs NDSN Stock Comparison

Rockwell Automation, Ametek and Nordson Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$429.70 -1.0% 1M +20.5% 1Y
Market cap
$48.66B
P/E
40.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
1 win
AME Ametek Inc/
$242.89 -3.3% 1M +29.8% 1Y
Market cap
$56.14B
P/E
35.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.86B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins
NDSN Nordson Corp
$321.98 -1.2% 1M +36.5% 1Y
Market cap
$18.07B
P/E
32.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Ametek leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Ametek 6, Nordson 5, Rockwell Automation 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionROKAMENDSNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $48.66B $56.14B $18.07B AME
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 40.5x 35.6x 32.5x NDSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.4x 29.6x 28.9x NDSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.3% +12.7% +7.0% AME
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.4% 20.0% 18.6% AME
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.0% 12.8% 13.1% ROK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.6x 1.7x AME
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.01% NDSN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.5% +29.8% +36.5% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.5%/yr +13.3%/yr +5.3%/yr AME
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.3% 23.9% 22.2% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 62/100 58/100 AME

Percentile Scorecard

ROKAMENDSN

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

AxisROKAMENDSN
Valuation 15 #173 of 203 17 #168 of 203 30 #143 of 203
Growth 52 #91 of 187 63 #70 of 187 57 #82 of 187
Profitability 95 #11 of 185 92 #15 of 185 96 #8 of 185
Financial Health 33 #148 of 219 69 #69 of 219 54 #101 of 219
Shareholder Returns 75 #39 of 153 70 #46 of 153 53 #73 of 153
Overall 54 62 58
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • AME 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

PeriodROKAMENDSNSPY
1 month -1.0%-3.3%-1.2% -0.8%
3 months -7.8%-0.1%+8.3% +3.5%
6 months +5.6%+4.3%+13.6% +7.0%
Year to date +10.4%+18.3%+33.9% +12.2%
1 year +20.5%+29.8%+36.5% +13.0%
3 years +64.0%+74.5%+51.8% +86.3%
3 years, per year +17.9%+20.4%+14.9% +23.1%
5 years +37.0%+87.0%+29.2% +68.6%
5 years, per year +6.5%+13.3%+5.3% +11.0%
10 years +256.2%+441.8%+220.9% +258.0%
10 years, per year +13.5%+18.4%+12.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureROKAMENDSNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%23.9%22.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.8%22.8%21.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.400.970.88 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.661.251.64 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.6%-27.3%-39.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.2%-6.1%-3.8% -1.8%
52-week high $495.08$258.54$334.70 $779.14
52-week low $348.51$184.19$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.

MultipleROKAMENDSN
P/E now vs peer median 39.7xmedian 26.0x 35.3xmedian 26.0x 32.3xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.9x 7.1xmedian 1.9x 6.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 14.0x 23.3xmedian 14.0x 21.1xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.7xmedian 21.4x 30.5xmedian 21.4x 24.8xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 13.6xmedian 2.2x 4.9xmedian 2.2x 5.5xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -9.05median 1.26 4.06median 1.26 7.34median 1.26

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 monthsROKAMENDSN
Revenue $8.97B $7.86B $2.98B
Gross profit $4.41B $2.86B $1.65B
Operating income $1.77B $2.04B $800.96M
Net income $1.20B $1.58B $555.18M
Free cash flow $1.50B $1.82B $724.01M
R&D $716.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $10.76 $6.86 $9.91
Cash & equivalents $479.00M $495.45M $113.43M
Total debt $13.81B $2.04B $1.73B
Shares (diluted) 111.60M 229.86M 56.03M
Enterprise value $46.85B $54.27B $17.62B

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
MetricROKAMENDSN
P/E 39.7x 35.3x 32.3x
P/FCF 31.7x 30.5x 24.8x
P/Operating cash flow 27.6x 28.4x 23.2x
P/S 5.3x 7.1x 6.0x
P/B 13.6x 4.9x 5.5x
P/Tangible book 17.1x 7.9x 6.8x
EV/EBITDA 24.1x 23.3x 21.1x
EV/EBIT 28.5x 28.1x 24.4x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 7.3x 6.6x
EV/FCF 33.6x 31.4x 27.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 29.2x 29.2x 25.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -9.05 4.06 7.34

Growth

14 metrics
MetricROKAMENDSN
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.3% 12.7% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 7.0% 4.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.9% 13.4% 8.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 7.9% 5.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% 11.2% 18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 8.2% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 23.8% 9.6% 22.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.5% 8.5% 3.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.2% 10.4% 23.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.4% 8.7% 4.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% 8.1% 26.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 11.0% 5.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 8.4% 33.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 12.0% 5.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricROKAMENDSN
Gross margin 49.1% 36.4% 55.3%
EBITDA margin 23.3% 31.2% 31.2%
Operating margin 19.7% 25.9% 26.9%
Pretax margin 14.7% 24.3% 22.6%
Net margin 13.4% 20.0% 18.6%
FCF margin 16.8% 23.2% 24.3%
Operating cash flow margin 19.3% 24.9% 26.0%
Return on equity 30.9% 14.2% 17.2%
Return on assets 9.8% 9.6% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 21.0% 12.8% 13.1%
Return on capital employed 23.6% 14.8% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.6% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricROKAMENDSN
Debt / assets 29.4% 12.3% 29.1%
Debt / equity 0.9x 0.2x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.6x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 1.1x 2.4x
Liabilities / assets 68.5% 32.1% 45.0%
Equity / assets 31.5% 67.9% 55.0%
Interest coverage 12.8x 21.1x 8.8x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.2x 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.6x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 5.88 8.27 6.23

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricROKAMENDSN
Dividend yield 1.3% 0.5% 1.1%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 0.7% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 1.3% 2.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 18.9% 33.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 16.3% 25.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 9.4% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 11.3% 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.

ConsensusROKAMENDSN
Forward P/E 34.4xFY2026 29.6xFY2026 28.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.50FY2026 $8.20FY2026 $11.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.7%FY2026 +10.4%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.3% +8.4% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.50BFY2026 $7.96BFY2026 $3.19BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +7.5%FY2026 +14.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.4% +18.3% +5.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersROKAMENDSN
Held by institutions 89.2% 89.6% 76.0%
Institutions holding 1,540 1,195 755
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +2.3% +3.1%
Institutions buying 805 615 389
Institutions selling 437 399 240
Buyers to sellers 1.84 1.54 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.

ROKAMENDSN
ROK 1.00 0.60 0.52
AME 0.60 1.00 0.59
NDSN 0.52 0.59 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ROK, AME and NDSN?

Ametek (AME) is the largest by market capitalisation: Rockwell Automation (ROK) $48.66B, Ametek (AME) $56.14B, Nordson (NDSN) $18.07B.

Which stock is cheaper, ROK, AME and NDSN?

Nordson (NDSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 40.5x, Ametek (AME) 35.6x, Nordson (NDSN) 32.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nordson (NDSN) is cheapest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 34.4x, Ametek (AME) 29.6x, Nordson (NDSN) 28.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ametek (AME) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Ametek (AME) +12.7%, Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ametek (AME) has the highest net margin (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Ametek (AME) 20.0%, Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%). On return on invested capital, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Ametek (AME) 12.8%, Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +20.5%, Ametek (AME) +29.8%, Nordson (NDSN) +36.5%. Over five years, Ametek (AME) compounded fastest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.5%/yr, Ametek (AME) +13.3%/yr, Nordson (NDSN) +5.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.3%, Ametek (AME) 23.9%, Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ROK, AME 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, Ametek (AME) 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.