Vesuvius (LON:VSVS) Reaches New 52-Week High at $509.00

Vesuvius plc (LON:VSVS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 509 ($6.39) and last traded at GBX 499.50 ($6.28), with a volume of 143308 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 500 ($6.28).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VSVS. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 675 ($8.48) price objective on shares of Vesuvius in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Vesuvius from GBX 480 ($6.03) to GBX 580 ($7.29) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 460 ($5.78) price target on shares of Vesuvius in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Vesuvius Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,136.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.47, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 483.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 465.89.

Vesuvius Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 18th will be issued a dividend of GBX 16.20 ($0.20) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is a boost from Vesuvius’s previous dividend of $6.80. Vesuvius’s payout ratio is currently 5,227.27%.

Insider Transactions at Vesuvius

In other news, insider Patrick André sold 66,184 shares of Vesuvius stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 484 ($6.08), for a total transaction of £320,330.56 ($402,425.33). In other news, insider Mark Collis acquired 8,228 shares of Vesuvius stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 484 ($6.08) per share, for a total transaction of £39,823.52 ($50,029.55). Also, insider Patrick André sold 66,184 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 484 ($6.08), for a total transaction of £320,330.56 ($402,425.33). 1.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vesuvius Company Profile

Vesuvius plc provides molten metal flow engineering and technology services to steel and foundry casting industries worldwide. It operates through Flow Control, Sensor & Probes, and Advanced Refractories segments. The company provides consumables and equipment, which includes binders, coatings, feeding systems, filtration and gating systems, melt shop refractories, metallurgical and pouring control systems, die dressings and coatings, melt treatment products, crucibles, and ceramics for the iron, steel, and nonferrous foundries.