FERG vs. NDSN: Ferguson Enterprises vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	FERG	NDSN
Name	Ferguson Enterprises 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	45.21 billion USD	17.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 5, 2010	March 18, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FERG

NDSN

GSPC

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	6.92%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.73%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	13.21%	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FERG

NDSN

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.85%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	1.08	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.31%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.46M	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FERG 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.08	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.12	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Nordson (NDSN) earns 17.76% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) has no ROE this period.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

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

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%

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) vs. Nordson (NDSN): FERG does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; NDSN is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 6.32%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

6.32%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
FERG: 6.32%
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%

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 10.16%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

10.16%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
FERG: 10.16%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	--	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	--	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.32%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.16%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.63%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Nordson (NDSN) reports revenue growth of 3.78%, ranked against its industry; Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 19.11% 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.

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	--	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	19.11%	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.73 and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.73

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
FERG: 1.73
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.11 and Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.11

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
FERG: 1.11
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

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) 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 Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.73	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.11	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.10	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.80% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FERG the richer one.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.80%

Max: 2.66%
FERG: 1.80%
Q3: 1.14%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 33.57% and Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

33.57%

Max: 67.39%
FERG: 33.57%
Q3: 28.02%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.80%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	33.57%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 23.00 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.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

23.00

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
FERG: 23.00
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 1.44 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.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

1.44

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
FERG: 1.44
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) at 7.29 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.

FERG

Capital Goods industry group

7.29

Max: 9.66
FERG: 7.29
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ferguson Enterprises (FERG) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	FERG	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.00	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.44	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.29	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	3.56%