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Vesuvius plc (VSVS.L)

Basic Materials Out of favour

Vesuvius helps the global steel and foundry industries handle extreme heat with specialised engineering ceramics and flow control systems.

£3.71
≈ 371p · London-listed shares are usually quoted in pence (GBX) elsewhere; the Almanac shows pounds (£1 = 100p).

Is Vesuvius plc a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: Vesuvius helps the global steel and foundry industries handle extreme heat with specialised engineering ceramics and flow control systems.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-23.3%
52-week range+2% past year
£3.71
Low £3.47High £5.08
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Vesuvius plc
£767-23%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
£913.40M
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
475.01K
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£3.62 – £3.76
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£3.47 – £5.08
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
24.7
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
6.4%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
1.15
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 1.15
Calm
Wild
Roughly in step with the market

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.

Why has it been moving?▼ -12% past week · ▲ +2% past year

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.

The bull case

successful pivot to greener steelmaking technologies

The bear case

structural decline in traditional heavy industry

What does Vesuvius plc do?

Operating quietly behind the scenes of heavy industry, this British firm manufactures heat-resistant components that keep molten metal moving safely. Selling essential consumables that wear out and need regular replacement every time a batch of steel is poured keeps the money flowing. The vital piece to keep an eye on is how shifting global steel production directly ripples into their order books.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and income, and weakest on momentum.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 60Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 31Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 17Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 13Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 51
Quick checks
What's strong
  • deeply embedded relationships with global steelmakers
  • generous dividend payout relative to share price
  • shares trade below the value of its underlying net assets
What to watch
  • Quality screens low (31/100)
  • Growth screens low (17/100)
  • Momentum screens low (13/100)
  • heavy reliance on the cyclical steel and foundry sectors
  • vulnerability to high energy costs required for manufacturing ceramics

What do Vesuvius plc's numbers mean?

Forward P/E
8.9
This compares the share price to expected future earnings, suggesting analysts anticipate a rebound in profitability ahead.
Dividend yield
6.4%
This shows the proportion of the share price paid out as yearly cash rewards to shareholders, sitting notably higher than the market average.
Price-to-Sales
0.5
This indicates investors are paying fifty pence for every pound of annual revenue the company brings in.

Does Vesuvius plc pay a dividend?

Yes - Vesuvius plc currently pays a dividend of about 6.4% 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.

More in Basic Materials

CF IndustriesNewmontEndeavour MiningFresnilloNucorSteel Dynamics, Inc.Freeport-McMoRan Inc.Corteva, Inc.

What are the scenarios for Vesuvius plc?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

£5£4£3today · £4▲ Bull · £4• Base · £4▼ Bear · £3in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+10% to +20%industrial output picks up faster than expected
Base
-5% to +5%steady demand with no major surprises in steel markets
Bear
-15% to -25%slowdown in manufacturing hits order volumes hard

What are the pros and cons of Vesuvius plc?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • deeply embedded relationships with global steelmakers
  • generous dividend payout relative to share price
  • shares trade below the value of its underlying net assets
The catch3
  • recent earnings fell sharply year-on-year
  • very slim net profit margins leave little room for error
  • returns generated on shareholder equity are currently modest
Key risks3
  • heavy reliance on the cyclical steel and foundry sectors
  • vulnerability to high energy costs required for manufacturing ceramics
  • slow revenue growth reflects a sluggish broader industrial backdrop
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: GBP · flags: none · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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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 2026-08-01 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.

Figures as of 2026-08-01. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.