Carpenter Technology vs Nordson
Add, change or remove companies; up to four.
KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Carpenter Technology and Nordson side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Carpenter Technology is the larger business, with $3.1B of revenue in fiscal 2026 against $2.8B for Nordson.
- Carpenter Technology grew revenue faster (8.6%, against 3.8%).
- Nordson kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (25.5% operating margin, against 22.5%).
- Nordson turned more of its sales into free cash flow (23.7% FCF margin, against 11.6%).
- Carpenter Technology earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (23.7%, against 11.6%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Nordson’s earnings: a P/E of 32.6x against 25.5x for Carpenter Technology.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 11 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Carpenter Technology
CRS
6/11
Revenue growth5-year growthReturn on capitalReturn on equityPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDA
Nordson
NDSN
5/11
Gross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | CRS FY26 | NDSN FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $14.5B | $18.0B |
| Revenue | $3.1B | $2.8B |
| Free cash flow | $362M | $661M |
| Net income | $530M | $485M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 8.6% | 3.8% |
| 5-year growth | 16.2% | 5.7% |
| Share count change | −0.6% | −1.2% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 30.6% | 55.2% |
| Operating margin | 22.5% | 25.5% |
| Net margin | 17.0% | 17.4% |
| FCF margin | 11.6% | 23.7% |
| Return on capital | 23.7% | 11.6% |
| Return on equity | 25.8% | 16.2% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $297M | $1.9B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 0.4x | 2.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $219M | $486M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 25.5x | 32.6x |
| Piotroski F-score | 9 | 5 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.