AME vs. NDSN: AMETEK vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AMETEK (AME) 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

AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AME is classified in Electrical Equipment while NDSN is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	AME	NDSN
Name	AMETEK, Inc.	Nordson Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	52.44 billion USD	17.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	July 19, 1984	March 18, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AME

NDSN

GSPC

AMETEK (AME) 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 AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	22.79%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.31%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	12.17%	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AME

NDSN

GSPC

AMETEK (AME) 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 AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.96%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	0.96	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.06%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.45M	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AME 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 AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.06	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 14.68% and Nordson (NDSN) at 17.76% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

14.68%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
AME: 14.68%
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%

AMETEK (AME) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both AMETEK (AME) at 19.91% and Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

19.91%

Max: 27.47%
AME: 19.91%
Q3: 12.10%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 26.38% and Nordson (NDSN) at 27.40% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

26.38%

Max: 36.60%
AME: 26.38%
Q3: 18.33%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	14.68%	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	7.06%	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.91%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	26.38%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	36.97%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both AMETEK (AME) at 6.63% 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.

AMETEK (AME) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both AMETEK (AME) at 7.93% and Nordson (NDSN) at 4.93% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AMETEK (AME) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.63%	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.36%	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.93%	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.50%	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 1.43 and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

1.43

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
AME: 1.43
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 0.60 and Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

0.60

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
AME: 0.60
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
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

AMETEK (AME) 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 AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.60	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.41	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 0.60% and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

0.60%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
AME: 0.60%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

AMETEK (AME) at 18.76% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

18.76%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
AME: 18.76%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.60%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	18.76%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 32.25 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.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

32.25

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
AME: 32.25
Median: 25.41
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both AMETEK (AME) at 6.40 and Nordson (NDSN) at 5.79 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

6.40

Max: 7.54
AME: 6.40
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

AMETEK (AME) at 4.48 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Nordson (NDSN) at 5.28 carries an above-peer premium to book — NDSN is pricier on assets.

AME

Capital Goods industry group

4.48

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
AME: 4.48
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AMETEK (AME) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	AME	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.25	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.40	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.48	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.89%	3.56%