ROK vs DOV vs NDSN Stock Comparison

Rockwell Automation, Dover and Nordson Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$426.18 -1.6% 1M +19.3% 1Y
Market cap
$47.75B
P/E
39.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins
DOV DOVER Corp
$199.20 +5.4% 1M +9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$27.27B
P/E
24.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.42B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins
NDSN Nordson Corp
$318.84 -0.8% 1M +35.1% 1Y
Market cap
$17.94B
P/E
32.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionROKDOVNDSNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $47.75B $27.27B $17.94B ROK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.8x 24.0x 32.3x DOV
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.1x 19.5x 28.6x DOV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.3% +7.6% +7.0% ROK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.4% 13.5% 18.6% NDSN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.0% 10.4% 13.1% ROK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.8x 1.7x DOV
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.01% DOV
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +19.3% +9.9% +35.1% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.1%/yr +3.3%/yr +4.7%/yr ROK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.3% 24.9% 22.2% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 56/100 56/100 NDSN

Percentile Scorecard

ROKDOVNDSN

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

AxisROKDOVNDSN
Valuation 15 #173 of 203 46 #110 of 203 28 #147 of 203
Growth 52 #91 of 188 45 #104 of 188 57 #82 of 188
Profitability 94 #12 of 187 80 #39 of 187 96 #9 of 187
Financial Health 32 #152 of 222 68 #71 of 222 53 #106 of 222
Shareholder Returns 74 #41 of 153 42 #89 of 153 49 #78 of 153
Overall 53 56 56
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • DOV 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

PeriodROKDOVNDSNSPY
1 month -1.6%+5.4%-0.8% -1.0%
3 months -7.8%-1.5%+7.8% +2.9%
6 months +6.2%-11.4%+12.9% +6.4%
Year to date +9.5%+2.0%+32.6% +11.4%
1 year +19.3%+9.9%+35.1% +13.1%
3 years +60.3%+50.5%+49.1% +79.4%
3 years, per year +17.0%+14.6%+14.2% +21.5%
5 years +34.7%+17.7%+25.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +6.1%+3.3%+4.7% +10.9%
10 years +246.5%+259.3%+217.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.2%+13.6%+12.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureROKDOVNDSNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%24.9%22.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.7%25.3%21.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.390.900.87 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.620.401.58 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.6%-36.3%-39.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.9%-14.6%-4.7% -2.5%
52-week high $495.08$233.31$334.70 $779.14
52-week low $348.51$177.43$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.

MultipleROKDOVNDSN
P/E now vs peer median 39.4xmedian 25.9x 23.7xmedian 25.9x 32.0xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.9x 3.2xmedian 1.9x 6.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.9xmedian 13.7x 15.6xmedian 13.7x 20.9xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.5xmedian 21.1x 22.8xmedian 21.1x 24.5xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 2.3x 3.5xmedian 2.3x 5.4xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -8.98median 1.19 4.86median 1.19 7.27median 1.19

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 monthsROKDOVNDSN
Revenue $8.97B $8.42B $2.98B
Gross profit $4.41B $3.33B $1.65B
Operating income $1.77B $1.42B $800.96M
Net income $1.20B $1.13B $555.18M
Free cash flow $1.50B $1.18B $724.01M
R&D $716.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $10.76 $8.37 $9.91
Cash & equivalents $479.00M $1.76B $113.43M
Total debt $13.81B $3.26B $1.73B
Shares (diluted) 111.60M 135.55M 56.03M
Enterprise value $45.94B $20.64B $17.50B

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
MetricROKDOVNDSN
P/E 39.4x 23.7x 32.0x
P/FCF 31.5x 22.8x 24.5x
P/Operating cash flow 27.3x 19.2x 23.0x
P/S 5.3x 3.2x 6.0x
P/B 13.5x 3.5x 5.4x
P/Tangible book 17.0x 4.4x 6.7x
EV/EBITDA 23.9x 15.6x 20.9x
EV/EBIT 28.3x 20.0x 24.2x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 3.4x 6.5x
EV/FCF 33.3x 24.1x 26.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 28.9x 20.3x 25.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -8.98 4.86 7.27

Growth

14 metrics
MetricROKDOVNDSN
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.3% 7.6% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 2.5% 4.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.9% 8.5% 8.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 4.9% 5.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% 11.0% 18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 4.0% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 23.8% -50.5% 22.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.5% 3.6% 3.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.2% -49.6% 23.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.4% 4.9% 4.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% 20.1% 26.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 12.5% 5.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 22.4% 33.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 14.6% 5.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricROKDOVNDSN
Gross margin 49.1% 39.6% 55.3%
EBITDA margin 23.3% 21.5% 31.2%
Operating margin 19.7% 16.9% 26.9%
Pretax margin 14.7% 16.8% 22.6%
Net margin 13.4% 13.5% 18.6%
FCF margin 16.8% 14.0% 24.3%
Operating cash flow margin 19.3% 16.6% 26.0%
Return on equity 30.9% 14.9% 17.2%
Return on assets 9.8% 8.3% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 21.0% 10.4% 13.1%
Return on capital employed 23.6% 12.8% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.5% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricROKDOVNDSN
Debt / assets 29.4% 23.8% 29.1%
Debt / equity 0.9x 0.4x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.8x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 2.8x 2.4x
Liabilities / assets 68.5% 43.7% 45.0%
Equity / assets 31.5% 56.3% 55.0%
Interest coverage 12.8x 12.5x 8.8x
Current ratio 1.1x 2.0x 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.3x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.7x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 5.85 5.35 6.19

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricROKDOVNDSN
Dividend yield 1.3% 1.0% 1.1%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 2.1% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 3.1% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 24.8% 33.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 23.9% 25.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -0.7% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -0.4% 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.

ConsensusROKDOVNDSN
Forward P/E 34.1xFY2026 19.5xFY2026 28.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.50FY2026 $10.21FY2026 $11.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.7%FY2026 +6.2%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.3% +10.6% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.50BFY2026 $8.14BFY2026 $3.19BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +0.6%FY2026 +14.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.4% +17.0% +5.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersROKDOVNDSN
Held by institutions 89.2% 91.1% 76.0%
Institutions holding 1,540 1,163 755
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% -0.3% +3.1%
Institutions buying 805 500 389
Institutions selling 437 405 240
Buyers to sellers 1.84 1.23 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.

ROKDOVNDSN
ROK 1.00 0.48 0.52
DOV 0.48 1.00 0.57
NDSN 0.52 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ROK, DOV and NDSN?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Rockwell Automation (ROK) $47.75B, Dover (DOV) $27.27B, Nordson (NDSN) $17.94B.

Which stock is cheaper, ROK, DOV and NDSN?

Dover (DOV) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 39.8x, Dover (DOV) 24.0x, Nordson (NDSN) 32.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Dover (DOV) is cheapest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 34.1x, Dover (DOV) 19.5x, Nordson (NDSN) 28.6x). 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: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Dover (DOV) +7.6%, Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nordson (NDSN) has the highest net margin (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Dover (DOV) 13.5%, Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%). On return on invested capital, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Dover (DOV) 10.4%, Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +19.3%, Dover (DOV) +9.9%, Nordson (NDSN) +35.1%. Over five years, Rockwell Automation (ROK) compounded fastest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.1%/yr, Dover (DOV) +3.3%/yr, Nordson (NDSN) +4.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Dover (DOV) has the highest dividend yield: Rockwell Automation (ROK) 0.00%, Dover (DOV) 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%, Dover (DOV) 24.9%, Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ROK, DOV 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, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads on 4. 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.