Nordson vs RBC Bearings
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Nordson and RBC Bearings side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Nordson is the larger business, with $2.8B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $1.9B for RBC Bearings.
- RBC Bearings grew revenue faster (14.3%, 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 18.3%).
- Nordson earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (11.6%, against 8.0%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of RBC Bearings’s earnings: a P/E of 47.2x against 32.6x for Nordson.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 11 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Nordson
NDSN
7/11
Gross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityShare count change
RBC Bearings
RBC
4/11
Revenue growth5-year growthPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDA
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | NDSN FY25 | RBC FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $18.0B | $15.1B |
| Revenue | $2.8B | $1.9B |
| Free cash flow | $661M | $343M |
| Net income | $485M | $288M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 3.8% | 14.3% |
| 5-year growth | 5.7% | 25.2% |
| Share count change | −1.2% | 4.2% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 55.2% | 44.4% |
| Operating margin | 25.5% | 22.5% |
| Net margin | 17.4% | 15.4% |
| FCF margin | 23.7% | 18.3% |
| Return on capital | 11.6% | 8.0% |
| Return on equity | 16.2% | 9.0% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.9B | $864M |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 2.4x | 1.6x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $486M | $0.0M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 32.6x | 47.2x |
| Piotroski F-score | 5 | 6 |
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.