LMT vs. NDSN: Lockheed Martin vs. Nordson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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

Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but LMT is classified in Aerospace & Defense while NDSN is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Profile Item	LMT	NDSN
Name	Lockheed Martin Corporation	Nordson Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	131.00 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

LMT

NDSN

GSPC

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
Total Return (1Y)	31.17%	40.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	12.79%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	5.48%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LMT

NDSN

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	31.09%	23.53%
Beta (5Y)	0.10	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.79%	-39.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.29M	381.48K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LMT 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.86	1.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.38	2.43

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 80.19% 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.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

80.19%

LMT: 80.19%
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%

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 8.23%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

8.23%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
LMT: 8.23%
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%

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 11.41%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

11.41%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
LMT: 11.41%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
ROE (TTM)	80.19%	17.76%
ROA (TTM)	8.58%	8.47%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.23%	18.63%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.41%	27.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.73%	55.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 5.64% 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.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Lockheed Martin (LMT) at -3.68% 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.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Nordson (NDSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.64%	3.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	2.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.68%	4.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-0.26%	-1.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 1.26 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for LMT.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

1.26

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
LMT: 1.26
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

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 2.04 uses more debt funding than most peers.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

2.04

Max: 2.33
LMT: 2.04
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

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.26	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.04	0.56
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.47	1.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 2.40% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, LMT the richer one.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

2.40%

Max: 2.66%
LMT: 2.40%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 49.01% and Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

49.01%

Max: 67.39%
LMT: 49.01%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.40%	1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.01%	33.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 20.14 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.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

20.14

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
LMT: 20.14
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 1.66 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.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

1.66

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
LMT: 1.66
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

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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 Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 12.96 prices even higher, above its industry range.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

12.96

LMT: 12.96
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Nordson (NDSN)
Metric	LMT	NDSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.14	31.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.66	5.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	12.96	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.31%	3.56%