AIT vs. NDSN: Applied Industrial vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AIT is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while NDSN is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	AIT	NDSN
Name	Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.	Nordson Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	10.35 billion USD	17.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 18, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT

NDSN

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	15.62%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.49%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.56%	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT

NDSN

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.72%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	0.86	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.42%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	295.41K	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AIT and NDSN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.53	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Nordson (NDSN) at 17.76% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AIT.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

22.51%

Max: 40.55%
AIT: 22.51%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

17.76%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
NDSN: 17.76%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.39%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

8.39%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
AIT: 8.39%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

18.63%

Max: 27.47%
NDSN: 18.63%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 27.40% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Applied Industrial (AIT) at 11.12%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

11.12%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
AIT: 11.12%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

27.40%

Max: 36.60%
NDSN: 27.40%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	22.51%	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	11.43%	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.39%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.12%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.40%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% and Nordson (NDSN) at 3.78% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Nordson (NDSN) reports EPS growth of 4.93%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.84%	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.40%	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

2.89

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
AIT: 2.89
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

1.82

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
NDSN: 1.82
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.15 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

0.15

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
AIT: 0.15
Min: 0.00

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

0.56

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
NDSN: 0.56
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.89	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.15	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.27	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.71% and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

0.71%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
AIT: 0.71%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

1.06%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
NDSN: 1.06%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 17.63% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

17.63%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
AIT: 17.63%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

33.20%

Max: 67.39%
NDSN: 33.20%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.71%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 and Nordson (NDSN) at 31.36 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

25.10

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
AIT: 25.10
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

31.36

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
NDSN: 31.36
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.05 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Nordson (NDSN) at 5.79 sits in the pricier quartile — NDSN costs more per dollar of sales.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

2.05

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
AIT: 2.05
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

5.79

Max: 7.54
NDSN: 5.79
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 5.50 and Nordson (NDSN) at 5.28 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

5.50

Max: 9.66
AIT: 5.50
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

NDSN

Capital Goods industry group

5.28

Max: 9.66
NDSN: 5.28
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AIT	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.10	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.05	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.50	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	3.56%