CAT vs. NDSN: Caterpillar vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) 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

Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN) both belong to the Machinery industry, though CAT is classified under Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment while NDSN falls under Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	CAT	NDSN
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Nordson Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	17.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 18, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

NDSN

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) 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 Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

NDSN

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT 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 Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Nordson (NDSN) at 17.76%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

56.14%

CAT: 56.14%
Max: 40.55%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 15.21% and Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

15.21%

Max: 27.47%
CAT: 15.21%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.19% 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.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

20.19%

Max: 36.60%
CAT: 20.19%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CAT.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

1.42

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
CAT: 1.42
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 uses more debt funding than most peers.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

2.10

Max: 2.33
CAT: 2.10
Q3: 1.12
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

Caterpillar (CAT) 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 Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.13% and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

1.13%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
CAT: 1.13%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 24.18% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

24.18%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
CAT: 24.18%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.13%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.18%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 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.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

21.92

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
CAT: 21.92
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 3.29 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.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

3.29

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
CAT: 3.29
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Nordson (NDSN) at 5.28 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Caterpillar (CAT) at 11.90 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

11.90

CAT: 11.90
Max: 9.66
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CAT	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	3.56%