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Vesuvius

VSVS.L
36
Steel · Basic Materials
Price
380.60 GBp
+1.60 (+0.42%)
Market Cap
£929.9M
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
36
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Weak
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Strong
Valuation
Mixed

Share count falling — buybacks

8.2% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 272.3M (2021) → 250.1M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Vesuvius is a British industrial company that makes the materials and equipment used inside steel and iron foundries. Its products — such as ceramic linings, flow-control systems, and refractory materials — protect the inside of furnaces and control how molten metal moves during the steelmaking process. The company sells to steel mills and metal foundries around the world, and it is one of the largest suppliers of these specialist consumable products globally.

Vesuvius makes most of its money by selling consumable products that wear out quickly and need constant replacing, which creates a steady, repeat-purchase revenue stream. It operates across Europe, North America, Asia, and emerging markets, generating roughly £1.8 billion in annual revenue. Its main competitive advantage is deep technical expertise and long-standing customer relationships, since switching suppliers mid-process is risky for steel mills. The biggest risk the business faces is a slowdown in global steel production, which directly reduces demand for everything Vesuvius sells.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+1.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-42.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

£35M/ year

Flat (-4% vs prior year)

2.0% of revenue

Below sector average (3%)

Steady R&D investment year-over-year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

£266M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

→ Burn rate stable

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Vesuvius is growing revenue at 2% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
25.5%
Modest — 25.5% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
7.1%
Modest — 7.1% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
7.4%
Weak — 7.4% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+1.9%
Nearly flat sales (+1.9% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-42.9%
Earnings shrinking (-42.9% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
1/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
429%
Turns 429% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
4.6%
Thin free cash flow (4.6%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.57
Conservative — low debt load (0.57)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
5.58x
Adequate interest coverage (5.6x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
24.7x
Growth-priced — P/E 24.7

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
N/A
not available
Data not available

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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