Vesuvius (LON:VSVS) Sets New 12-Month High at $509.00

Shares of Vesuvius plc (LON:VSVS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 509 ($6.39) and last traded at GBX 499.50 ($6.28), with a volume of 143308 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 500 ($6.28).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Vesuvius Stock Down 0.4 %

The stock has a market cap of £1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 1,131.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 483.96 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 466.11.

Vesuvius Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

About Vesuvius

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.