CR vs. NDSN: Crane vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Crane (CR) 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

Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN) are both classified in the Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components sub-industry within the broader Machinery industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Nordson (NDSN) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 18, 1980, whereas Crane (CR) listed on March 29, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	CR	NDSN
Name	Crane Company	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	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	11.63 billion USD	17.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 29, 2023	March 18, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NDSN

GSPC

Crane (CR) 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 Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	11.24%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	28.26%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	--	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NDSN

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.10%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	0.98	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.02%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	401.91K	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CR 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 Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.20	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.28	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Crane (CR) at 16.14% 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.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

16.14%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
CR: 16.14%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Crane (CR) at 12.41% and Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

12.41%

Max: 27.47%
CR: 12.41%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Crane (CR) at 18.77% 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.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

18.77%

Max: 36.60%
CR: 18.77%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	16.14%	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	9.33%	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	12.41%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.77%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.27%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Crane (CR) at 8.16% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both Crane (CR) at 23.96% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.16%	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.07%	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	23.96%	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-4.47%	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Crane (CR) at 2.61 and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

2.61

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
CR: 2.61
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Crane (CR) at 0.42 and Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

0.42

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
CR: 0.42
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

Crane (CR) 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 Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.61	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.42	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.08	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Crane (CR) at 0.50% and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

0.50%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
CR: 0.50%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Crane (CR) at 17.10% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

17.10%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
CR: 17.10%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.50%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.10%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Crane (CR) at 34.55 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.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

34.55

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
CR: 34.55
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Crane (CR) at 4.22 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.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

4.22

Max: 7.54
CR: 4.22
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Crane (CR) at 5.13 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.

CR

Capital Goods industry group

5.13

Max: 9.66
CR: 5.13
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Crane (CR) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	CR	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.55	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.22	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.13	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.88%	3.56%