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NDSN vs. URI: Nordson vs. United Rentals Stock Comparison

How do Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
Profile ItemNDSNURI
NameNordson CorporationUnited Rentals Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization17.26 billion USD65.36 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMarch 18, 1980December 18, 1997
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NDSN
URI
GSPC
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI), 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 Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
Total Return (1Y)40.90%35.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)14.93%38.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)5.48%24.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NDSN
URI
GSPC
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI), 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 Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)23.53%44.71%
Beta (5Y)0.981.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-39.15%-39.76%
Avg. Volume (3M)381.48K496.78K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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NDSN and URI 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 Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.560.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.431.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Nordson (NDSN) at 17.76% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for URI.

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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

30.56%

Max
40.55%
URI
30.56%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Nordson (NDSN) at 18.63% and United Rentals (URI) at 16.33% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

16.33%

Max
27.47%
URI
16.33%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Nordson (NDSN) at 27.40% and United Rentals (URI) at 29.21% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

29.21%

Max
36.60%
URI
29.21%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
ROE (TTM)17.76%30.56%
ROA (TTM)8.47%9.14%
Net Margin (TTM)18.63%16.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.40%29.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)55.39%39.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Nordson (NDSN) at 3.78% and United Rentals (URI) at 4.91% 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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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Nordson (NDSN) at 4.93% and United Rentals (URI) at -0.21% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
Revenue Growth (YoY)3.78%4.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.53%11.41%
EPS Growth (YoY)4.93%-0.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.15%9.20%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nordson (NDSN) at 1.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while United Rentals (URI) at 0.80 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for URI.

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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

0.80

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
URI
0.80
Min
0.36
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): 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 United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

1.64

Max
2.33
URI
1.64
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.820.80
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.561.64
Net Debt / EBITDA1.783.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Nordson (NDSN) at 1.06% and United Rentals (URI) at 0.74% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

0.74%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
URI
0.74%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 16.95% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Nordson (NDSN) at 33.20% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

16.95%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
URI
16.95%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.06%0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)33.20%16.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Nordson (NDSN) at 31.36 and United Rentals (URI) at 23.24 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

23.24

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
URI
23.24
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 3.74 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.

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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

3.74

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
URI
3.74
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Nordson (NDSN) at 5.28 and United Rentals (URI) at 6.75 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

6.75

Max
9.66
URI
6.75
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Nordson (NDSN) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Nordson (NDSN) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricNDSNURI
P/E Ratio (TTM)31.3623.24
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.793.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.286.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.56%3.24%