JCI vs. NDSN: Johnson Controls vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Johnson Controls (JCI) 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

Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but JCI is classified in Building Products while NDSN is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	JCI	NDSN
Name	Johnson Controls International plc	Nordson Corporation
Country/Region	Ireland	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Building Products	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Building Products	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	81.79 billion USD	17.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	September 28, 1987	March 18, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

JCI

NDSN

GSPC

Johnson Controls (JCI) 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	17.11%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	43.46%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	15.29%	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

JCI

NDSN

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.91%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	1.29	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-42.32%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.57M	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

JCI 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.54	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 21.73% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Nordson (NDSN) at 17.76% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for JCI.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

21.73%

Max: 40.55%
JCI: 21.73%
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%

Johnson Controls (JCI) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Johnson Controls (JCI) at 11.12%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

11.12%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
JCI: 11.12%
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%

Johnson Controls (JCI) 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) at 17.21%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

17.21%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
JCI: 17.21%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	21.73%	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	6.41%	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.12%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.21%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	37.07%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Johnson Controls (JCI) at 2.81% 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.

Johnson Controls (JCI) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 99.60% 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 JCI.

Johnson Controls (JCI) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.81%	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.57%	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	99.60%	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	31.94%	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Johnson Controls (JCI) at 0.90 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for JCI.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.90

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
JCI: 0.90
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Johnson Controls (JCI) at 0.68 and Nordson (NDSN) at 0.56 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.68

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
JCI: 0.68
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

Johnson Controls (JCI) 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.90	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.68	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.86	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Nordson (NDSN) reports a yield of 1.06%, ranking against industry peers normally.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
JCI: 0.00%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Johnson Controls (JCI) at 45.20% and Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

45.20%

Max: 67.39%
JCI: 45.20%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.20%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Johnson Controls (JCI) at 28.61 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.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

28.61

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
JCI: 28.61
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 3.19 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.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

3.19

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
JCI: 3.19
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Johnson Controls (JCI) at 5.99 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.

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

5.99

Max: 9.66
JCI: 5.99
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Johnson Controls (JCI) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	JCI	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.61	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.19	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.99	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.81%	3.56%