Pub operator Marston’s (MARS) looks in good health compared with many of its competitors and chairman Roger Devlin appears to agree. In fact Mr Devlin spent over £226,000 on 16 May snapping-up 150,000 shares at 150.75p each, representing a 0.026 per cent stake in the company.
IC TIP:
Buy
at
155p
Mr Devlin only joined Marston’s board last September after replacing former chairman David Thompson, who had served the company for 35 years. Since then, the group has reported half-year figures that revealed a 5 per cent rise in revenues and a 9 per cent improvement in underlying pre-tax profits to £29m. Moreover, Marston’s focus on bringing down its considerable debt pile - helped by an ongoing disposal programme - also deserves applause in a sector that's still struggling with a lingering debt crisis.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Armadale Capital | Justin Lewis | 20 May 14 | 23,000,000 | 0.1 | 23,000 | 83,000,000 | 2.270 |
| Amara Mining | John McGloin (ch) | 19 May 14 | 587,841 | 17 | 99,933 | 871,906 | 0.265 |
| Amara Mining | Pete Gardner (cfo) | 19 May 14 | 261,820 | 16.98 | 44,457 | 430,109 | 0.131 |
| Amara Mining | Pete Gardner (cfo) | 20 May 14 | 325,000 | 16.98 | 55,185 | 755,109 | 0.230 |
| Amino Technologies | Keith Todd (ch) | 19 May 14 | 120,424 | 89 | 107,177 | 281,983 | 0.512 |
| Avanti Communications | David Williams (ce) | 16 May 14 | 9,550 | 259 | 24,735 | 1,705,651 | 1.527 |
| Babcock International | J Randall | 20 May 14 | 3,000 | 1187 | 35,610 | 3,000 | <0.001 |
| Development Securities | Michael Marx (ce) | 15 May 14 | 21,030 | 236.75 | 49,789 | 550,555 | 0.441 |
| Development Securities | Marcus Shepherd (fd) | 15 May 14 | 10,000 | 233.5 | 23,350 | 38,347 | 0.031 |
| Experian | Jan Babiak | 16 May 14 | 11,000 | 1,042.91 | 114,720 | 11,000 | 0.001 |
| Grafton | Roderick Ryan | 21 May 14 | 10,000 | 575 | 57,500 | 35,000 | 0.015 |
| Gresham Computing ♥ | Max Royde | 19 May 14 | 50,000 | 131.95 | 65,973 | 5,494,354 | 8.689 |
| Gresham Computing ♥ | Max Royde | 20 May 14 | 50,000 | 131.95 | 65,974 | 5,544,354 | 8.768 |
| GVC Holdings | Lee Feldman (ch) | 15 May 14 | 23,875 | 435 | 103,856 | 122,575 | 0.201 |
| Keywords Studios | Ross Graham (ch) | 19 May 14 | 30,490 | 164 | 50,004 | 30,490 | 0.065 |
| Lenta † | John Oliver (ch) | 16 May 14 | 15,000 | 994 | 149,100 | 525,000 | 0.122 |
| Lloyds Banking | Carolyn Fairbairn | 21 May 14 | 40,000 | 73.99 | 29,596 | 40,000 | <0.001 |
| Lloyds Banking | Nick Luff | 16 May 14 | 120,000 | 73.71 | 88,452 | 200,000 | <0.001 |
| Marshalls | Mark Edwards | 21 May 14 | 29,000 | 173 | 50,170 | 78,000 | 0.039 |
| Marston's | Roger Devlin (ch) | 16 May 14 | 150,000 | 150.75 | 226,125 | 150,000 | 0.026 |
| NetPlay TV (ce) | Charles Butler (ce) | 21 May 14 | 1,500,000 | 17.25 | 258,750 | 3,000,000 | 1.013 |
| Ocado | Ruth Anderson | 16 May 14 | 10,000 | 303.48 | 30,348 | 70,000 | 0.011 |
| Petroceltic International * | Brian O'Cathain (ce) | 21 May 14 | 23,536 | 157 | 36,952 | 194,609 | 0.105 |
| Petroceltic International * | TG Hickey (cfo) | 21 May 14 | 23,536 | 157 | 36,952 | 272,850 | 0.148 |
| Pittards | Godfrey Davis | 15 May 14 | 31,000 | 157.75 | 48,903 | 31,000 | 0.335 |
| Premier Foods | Ian Krieger | 15 May 14 | 200,000 | 54.25 | 108,500 | 304,000 | 0.037 |
| President Energy | Peter Levine (ch) | 20 May 14 | 250,000 | 30 | 75,000 | 76,662,209 | 19.380 |
| Staffline * | Andrew Hogarth (ce) | 16 May 14 | 46,875 | 800 | 375,000 | 1,615,504 | 5.835 |
| Staffline * | Diane Martyn | 16 May 14 | 3,750 | 800 | 30,000 | 3,750 | 0.014 |
| Staffline * | Nicholas Keegan | 16 May 14 | 3,000 | 800 | 24,000 | 36,750 | 0.133 |
| Telecom plus | Andrew Lindsay (ce) | 21 May 14 | 3,000 | 1,490.39 | 44,712 | 135,312 | 0.169 |
| Telecom plus | Julian Schild | 21 May 14 | 17,000 | 1,490.39 | 253,366 | 133,682 | 0.167 |
| Telecom plus | Melvin Lawson | 21 May 14 | 3,000 | 1,490.39 | 44,712 | 2,064,869 | 2.581 |
| Telecom plus | Charles Wigoder (ch) | 21 May 14 | 5,000 | 1,490.39 | 74,520 | 12,993,183 | 16.238 |
| Tethys Petroleum | Julian Hammond (ce) | 19 May 14 | 100,000 | 22.75 | 22,750 | 225,000 | 0.074 |
| Thomas Cook | Harriet Green (ce) | 19 May 14 | 32,700 | 154.17 | 50,414 | 732,700 | 0.050 |
| Thomas Cook | Michael Healy (cfo) | 19 May 14 | 19,700 | 150.52 | 29,652 | 43,701 | 0.003 |
| Thomas Cook | Martine Verluyten | 19 May 14 | 25,000 | 153.26 | 38,315 | 165,000 | 0.011 |
| Travis Perkins | R M Walker (ch) | 16 May 14 | 3,000 | 1,628.64 | 48,859 | 89,007 | 0.036 |
| Travis Perkins | Tony Buffin (cfo) | 16 May 14 | 3,000 | 1611 | 48,330 | 43,807 | 0.018 |
| Trinity Mirror | Simon Fox (ce) | 19 May 14 | 12,659 | 158 | 20,001 | 87,861 | 0.034 |
| W Resources ♥ * | Michael Masterman (ch) | 19 May 14 | 22,500,000 | 0.8 | 180,000 | 771,594,339 | 35.323 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Anglo American | Mark Cutifani (ce) | 20 May 14 | 4,693 | 1,537 | 72,131 | 32,890 | 0.002 |
| Hargreaves Lansdown ♥ | Ian Gorham (ce) | 21 May 14 | 110,000 | 1,166 | 1,282,600 | 332,628 | 0.070 |
| Prudential | MGA McLintock | 16 May 14 | 72,188 | 1,398.10 | 1,009,260 | 440,087 | 0.017 |
| Prudential | NA Nicandrou (cfo) | 16 May 14 | 116,106 | 1,398.10 | 1,623,278 | 286,700 | 0.011 |
| Prudential (ce) | TC Thiam | 16 May 14 | 380,000 | 1,398.10 | 5,312,780 | 684,284 | 0.027 |
| Prudential † | B L Stowe | 16 May 14 | 216,000 | 1,397.50 | 3,018,602 | 274,784 | 0.011 |
| Prudential † | M Wells | 16 May 14 | 300,000 | 1,399.65 | 4,198,935 | 436,534 | 0.017 |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | Colin Smith | 16 May 14 | 70,000 | 1,000.59 | 700,413 | 193,305 | 0.010 |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings ♥ | Colin Smith | 16 May 14 | 30,000 | 1,000.59 | 300,177 | 193,305 | 0.010 |
| Stobart | Andrew Tinkler (ce) | 21 May 14 | 1,000,000 | 135 | 1,350,000 | 31,179,442 | 9.413 |
| Synthomer | AM Whitfield (ce) | 15 May 14 | 90,976 | 267.99 | 243,811 | 197,388 | 0.058 |
| TT electronics | Geraint Anderson (ce) | 15 May 14 | 70,000 | 212 | 148,400 | 700,573 | 0.441 |
| UBM | Robert Gray (cfo) | 20 May 14 | 13,514 | 648.86 | 87,688 | 17,503 | 0.007 |
* placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party † depositary receipts | |||||||
