Nordson Corporation (NDSN)
Nordson is a precision engineering firm that makes the high-tech equipment used to apply adhesives, coatings, and sealants across everything from food packaging to medical devices.
Is Nordson Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High profit margins suggest a strong, defensible business model. Worth weighing: The current valuation is relatively high compared to historical earnings.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Nordson Corporation do?
Think of Nordson as the 'hidden glue' of the manufacturing world; they provide the sophisticated pumps and nozzles that ensure liquids and adhesives are applied with extreme precision. Most of the income is from selling these specialized systems and the ongoing parts needed to keep them running. Much depends on whether they can protect their high profit margins as they push into new industries like electronics and healthcare.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and quality, and weakest on value.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 1.1% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 8% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 18% of sales into profit
- !High P/E of 33 - big growth is already priced in
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 17%)
- Momentum screens high
- —
Does Nordson Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Nordson Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.1% a year, which is £11 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →
What do the numbers say about Nordson Corporation's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
Most recent ex-dividend date: 18 Jun 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →
Does Nordson Corporation have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $103.14M in cash against about $1.97B of debt - so it has net debt of about $1.87B. Debt is not automatically a problem - it funds growth - but it has to be serviced and repaid, which matters more when profits wobble.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do Nordson Corporation's numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Nordson Corporation actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Nordson Corporation fell as much as −37% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns Nordson Corporation?
About 76% of Nordson Corporation, or about 76 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds, and company insiders hold about 6%. The rest, roughly 18%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Nordson Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of Nordson Corporation's sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £45 covers making the product or service, £37 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £18 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
When does Nordson Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Nordson Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-12-09 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-19 | $3.09 | $3.25 | Beat +5% |
| 2026-05-20 | $2.82 | $2.86 | Beat +1% |
| 2026-02-18 | $2.37 | $2.37 | In line |
| 2025-12-10 | $2.93 | $3.03 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-08-20 | $2.64 | $2.73 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-05-28 | $2.36 | $2.42 | Beat +3% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Nordson Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Nordson Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Nordson becomes the essential partner for advanced automated manufacturing.
Technological disruption makes their current dispensing systems obsolete.
What are the pros and cons of Nordson Corporation?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- High profit margins suggest a strong, defensible business model.
- Diverse customer base across food, medical, and electronics industries.
- Consistent history of growth and operational efficiency.
- The current valuation is relatively high compared to historical earnings.
- Relies heavily on global industrial health, which can be cyclical: A business whose sales and profits rise and fall with the wider economy - booming in good times, sinking in downturns. Miners, carmakers and banks are classic examples..
- Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. is quite modest for those seeking regular income.
- A global economic downturn could lead to a sharp drop in capital spending by factories.
- Supply chain disruptions could increase costs and delay product delivery.
- Competition from lower-cost manufacturers could pressure their pricing power.
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained decline in profit margins would suggest their competitive advantage is weakening.
- A significant drop in revenue growth would indicate that their core markets are becoming saturated.
Common questions about Nordson Corporation
Does Nordson Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Nordson Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.1% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.
When does Nordson Corporation report earnings next?
Nordson Corporation is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-12-09. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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Northrop Grumman CorporationBuilt from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.