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. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. 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. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
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.
Nordson becomes the essential partner for advanced automated manufacturing.
Technological disruption makes their current dispensing systems obsolete.
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 32 - big growth is already priced in
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 17%)
- Momentum screens high (70/100)
- 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.
- 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.
What do Nordson Corporation's numbers mean?
How much money does Nordson Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Nordson Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Nordson Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.1% a year (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.
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.
When does Nordson Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Nordson Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-19 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-20 | $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% |
| 2025-02-19 | $2.08 | $2.06 | In line |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Nordson Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
More in Industrials
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
GE Vernova
Global Payments Inc.
Delta Air Lines
Vertiv Holdings Co
Howmet Aerospace Inc.
EMCOR Group, Inc.
Southwest Airlines Co.What are the scenarios for Nordson Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Nordson Corporation?
How many points the write-up makes each way — 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.
Built 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.