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GE vs. NDSN: GE Aerospace vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

How do GE Aerospace (GE) 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

GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GE is classified in Industrial Conglomerates while NDSN is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile ItemGENDSN
NameGeneral Electric CompanyNordson Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryIndustrial ConglomeratesMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial ConglomeratesIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization335.38 billion USD17.26 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962March 18, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GE
NDSN
GSPC
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GE Aerospace (GE) 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
Total Return (1Y)9.16%40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)55.50%14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)37.59%5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)34.52%23.53%
Beta (5Y)1.390.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)-44.94%-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.48M381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GE 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.141.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.202.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 50.17% 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.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

50.17%

GE
50.17%
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%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both GE Aerospace (GE) at 17.31% and Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

17.31%

Max
27.47%
GE
17.31%
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%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.49% 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.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

18.49%

Max
36.60%
GE
18.49%
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%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
ROE (TTM)50.17%17.76%
ROA (TTM)5.06%8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)17.31%18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.49%27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)30.07%55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.48% 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.

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

EPS Growth

GE Aerospace (GE) at 35.89% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Nordson (NDSN) at 4.93% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for GE.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)18.48%3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)16.32%2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)35.89%4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)446.03%-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.98 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GE.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
GE
0.98
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
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GE Aerospace (GE) 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 GE Aerospace (GE) at 1.16 uses more debt funding than most peers.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

1.16

Max
2.33
GE
1.16
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
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GE Aerospace (GE) 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.981.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.160.56
Net Debt / EBITDA0.931.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.56% and Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.56%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
GE
0.56%
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%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 20.23% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

20.23%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
GE
20.23%
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%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.56%1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.23%33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 31.36 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 36.94 sits in the richer quartile — GE needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

36.94

Max
59.38
GE
36.94
Q3
35.92
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
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 6.38 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.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

6.38

Max
7.54
GE
6.38
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
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GE Aerospace (GE) 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 GE Aerospace (GE) at 19.06 prices even higher, above its industry range.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

19.06

GE
19.06
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
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Nordson (NDSN)
MetricGENDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)36.9431.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.385.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)19.065.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.89%3.56%