ROK vs MTD vs NDSN Stock Comparison

Rockwell Automation, Mettler Toledo International 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
$47.72B
P/E
39.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
1.28%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins
NDSN Nordson Corp
$321.98 -1.2% 1M +36.5% 1Y
Market cap
$17.93B
P/E
32.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.98B
Div. yield
1.06%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Rockwell Automation leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Rockwell Automation 5, Nordson 5, Mettler Toledo International 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionROKMTDNDSNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $47.72B $36.23B $17.93B ROK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.7x 37.1x 32.3x NDSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.4x 33.2x 28.9x NDSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.3% +6.9% +7.0% ROK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.4% 21.9% 18.6% MTD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.0% 47.1% 13.1% MTD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 1.5x 1.7x ROK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.28% — 1.06% ROK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.5% +16.5% +36.5% NDSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.5%/yr +2.7%/yr +5.3%/yr ROK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.3% 33.0% 22.2% NDSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 51/100 58/100 NDSN

Percentile Scorecard

ROKMTDNDSN

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

AxisROKMTDNDSN
Valuation 15 #173 of 203 11 #180 of 203 30 #143 of 203
Growth 52 #91 of 187 39 #115 of 187 57 #82 of 187
Profitability 95 #11 of 185 100 #1 of 185 96 #8 of 185
Financial Health 33 #148 of 219 24 #167 of 219 54 #101 of 219
Shareholder Returns 75 #39 of 153 80 #31 of 153 53 #73 of 153
Overall 54 51 58
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MTD 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

PeriodROKMTDNDSNSPY
1 month -1.0%+10.5%-1.2% -0.8%
3 months -7.8%+24.9%+8.3% +3.5%
6 months +5.6%+31.1%+13.6% +7.0%
Year to date +10.4%+19.8%+33.9% +12.2%
1 year +20.5%+16.5%+36.5% +13.0%
3 years +64.0%+71.1%+51.8% +86.3%
3 years, per year +17.9%+19.6%+14.9% +23.1%
5 years +37.0%+14.3%+29.2% +68.6%
5 years, per year +6.5%+2.7%+5.3% +11.0%
10 years +256.2%+318.1%+220.9% +258.0%
10 years, per year +13.5%+15.4%+12.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureROKMTDNDSNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%33.0%22.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.8%33.9%21.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.400.820.88 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.660.501.64 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.6%-43.5%-39.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.2%-0.9%-3.8% -1.8%
52-week high $495.08$1,685.52$334.70 $779.14
52-week low $348.51$1,025.53$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.

MultipleROKMTDNDSN
P/E now vs peer median 39.7xmedian 26.0x 37.1xmedian 26.0x 32.3xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.9x 8.8xmedian 1.9x 6.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 14.0x 28.1xmedian 14.0x 21.1xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.7xmedian 21.4x 41.9xmedian 21.4x 24.8xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 13.6xmedian 2.2x 2,825xmedian 2.2x 5.5xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -9.05median 1.26 5.37median 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 monthsROKMTDNDSN
Revenue $8.97B $4.13B $2.98B
Gross profit $4.41B $2.49B $1.65B
Operating income $1.77B $1.23B $800.96M
Net income $1.20B $905.61M $555.18M
Free cash flow $1.50B $863.97M $724.01M
R&D $716.00M $208.01M –
EPS (diluted) $10.76 $44.91 $9.91
Cash & equivalents $479.00M $51.40M $113.43M
Total debt $13.81B $2.11B $1.73B
Shares (diluted) 111.60M 20.17M 56.03M
Enterprise value $45.91B $35.98B $17.49B

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
MetricROKMTDNDSN
P/E 39.7x 37.1x 32.3x
P/FCF 31.7x 41.9x 24.8x
P/Operating cash flow 27.6x 37.2x 23.2x
P/S 5.3x 8.8x 6.0x
P/B 13.6x 2,825x 5.5x
P/Tangible book 17.1x -142.9x 6.8x
EV/EBITDA 24.1x 28.1x 21.1x
EV/EBIT 28.5x 31.1x 24.4x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 9.3x 6.6x
EV/FCF 33.6x 44.3x 27.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 29.2x 39.3x 25.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -9.05 5.37 7.34

Growth

14 metrics
MetricROKMTDNDSN
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.3% 6.9% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 1.5% 4.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.9% 7.5% 8.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 2.0% 5.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% 6.3% 18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 0.2% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 23.8% 9.1% 22.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.5% 3.7% 3.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.2% 12.2% 23.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.4% 6.9% 4.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% 2.5% 26.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 0.2% 5.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 1.9% 33.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 0.2% 5.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricROKMTDNDSN
Gross margin 49.1% 60.3% 55.3%
EBITDA margin 23.3% 32.9% 31.2%
Operating margin 19.7% 29.7% 26.9%
Pretax margin 14.7% 26.5% 22.6%
Net margin 13.4% 21.9% 18.6%
FCF margin 16.8% 20.9% 24.3%
Operating cash flow margin 19.3% 23.6% 26.0%
Return on equity 30.9% – 17.2%
Return on assets 9.8% 24.7% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 21.0% 47.1% 13.1%
Return on capital employed 23.6% 49.8% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.1x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.1x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.6% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricROKMTDNDSN
Debt / assets 29.4% 57.5% 29.1%
Debt / equity 0.9x 164.7x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 1.5x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 2.4x 2.4x
Liabilities / assets 68.5% 99.7% 45.0%
Equity / assets 31.5% 0.3% 55.0%
Interest coverage 12.8x 17.7x 8.8x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.1x 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.7x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.0x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 5.88 11.90 6.23

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricROKMTDNDSN
Dividend yield 1.3% – 1.1%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 2.1% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 2.1% 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.

ConsensusROKMTDNDSN
Forward P/E 34.4xFY2026 33.2xFY2026 28.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.50FY2026 $50.31FY2026 $11.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.7%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.3% +5.0% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.50BFY2026 $4.52BFY2026 $3.19BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +12.2%FY2026 +14.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.4% +3.8% +5.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersROKMTDNDSN
Held by institutions 89.2% 94.4% 76.0%
Institutions holding 1,540 804 755
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +3.1% +3.1%
Institutions buying 805 331 389
Institutions selling 437 324 240
Buyers to sellers 1.84 1.02 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.

ROKMTDNDSN
ROK 1.00 0.31 0.52
MTD 0.31 1.00 0.38
NDSN 0.52 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ROK, MTD and NDSN?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Rockwell Automation (ROK) $47.72B, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) $36.23B, Nordson (NDSN) $17.93B.

Which stock is cheaper, ROK, MTD and NDSN?

Nordson (NDSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 39.7x, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) 37.1x, Nordson (NDSN) 32.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nordson (NDSN) is cheapest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 34.4x, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) 33.2x, 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?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) +6.9%, Nordson (NDSN) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mettler Toledo International (MTD) has the highest net margin (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) 21.9%, Nordson (NDSN) 18.6%). On return on invested capital, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) leads (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) 47.1%, Nordson (NDSN) 13.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nordson (NDSN) returned the most: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +20.5%, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) +16.5%, Nordson (NDSN) +36.5%. Over five years, Rockwell Automation (ROK) compounded fastest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.5%/yr, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) +2.7%/yr, Nordson (NDSN) +5.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Rockwell Automation (ROK) has the highest dividend yield: Rockwell Automation (ROK) 1.28%, Nordson (NDSN) 1.06%. Mettler Toledo International (MTD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nordson (NDSN) has been the steadiest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.3%, Mettler Toledo International (MTD) 33.0%, Nordson (NDSN) 22.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ROK, MTD 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 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.