With its hybrid online sales operation, Purplebricks (PURP) has changed the whole house selling process. And business has been brisk, as customers are attracted to the fixed-fee model, significantly cheaper than commission charged by a conventional estate agent.
The share price has risen dramatically, too, from 100p on the first day of dealing in December 2015 to 292p. And several original shareholders have sold around 7.9m shares via an accelerated book build to institutional investors. Around 3.6m shares were sold by the wife of chief executive Michael Bruce, although her holding is still significant at 37.6m shares, and Mr Bruce and persons connected to him still have options on a further 2.5m shares. Chief financial officer Neil Cartwright sold 1m shares, but still holds 1.1m and options on a further 757,492, while independent non-executive director William Whitehorn disposed of 250,000 shares, leaving him with 838,269.
In February, Purplebricks raised around £50m through a heavily oversubscribed share placing to provide funds to launch the business in the US, starting initially in a number of key states.
| Buys | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Aviva | Adrian Montague (ch) | 09 Mar 17 | 9,303 | 534.64 | 49,738 | 42,385 | 0.001 |
| Bacanora Minerals♥ | Mark Hohnen (ch) | 14 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 82 | 8,200 | 800,666 | 0.721 |
| Bacanora Minerals♥ | Mark Hohnen (ch) | 14 Mar 17 | 27,000 | 82 | 22,140 | 790,666 | 0.712 |
| Bacanora Minerals♥ | Mark Hohnen (ch) | 14 Mar 17 | 37,000 | 82 | 30,340 | 763,666 | 0.688 |
| Blancco Technology | Philip Rogerson | 15 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 253.21 | 25,321 | 17,500 | 0.030 |
| Blancco Technology | Tom Skelton | 14 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 251.5 | 25,150 | 10,000 | 0.017 |
| Blancco Technology | Rob Woodward (ch) | 14 Mar 17 | 6,035 | 252.5 | 15,238 | 17,994 | 0.031 |
| Capital & Regional | Tony Hales | 10 Mar 17 | 100,000 | 59.8 | 59,800 | 600,000 | 0.085 |
| Capital & Regional | Hugh Scott-Barrett (ceo) | 09 Mar 17 | 158,174 | 59.3 | 93,797 | 2,355,635 | 0.335 |
| City of London Investment Trust♥ | Simon Barratt | 15 Mar 17 | 12,000 | 417.3973 | 50,088 | 21,627 | 0.006 |
| Communisis | David Gilbertson | 09 Mar 17 | 100,000 | 49.895 | 49,895 | 100,000 | 0.048 |
| Direct Line Insurance♥ | John Reizenstein (cfo) | 09 Mar 17 | 15,600 | 337.7 | 52,681 | 211,252 | 0.015 |
| Everyman Media | Adam Kaye | 13 Mar 17 | 200,000 | 124 | 248,000 | 4,884,809 | 8.166 |
| G4S | Steven Mogford | 13 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 300.16 | 30,016 | 10,000 | 0.001 |
| Go-Ahead | David Brown (ceo) | 09 Mar 17 | 2,868 | 1726 | 49,502 | 98,640 | 0.229 |
| Grafton | David Arnold (cfo) | 13 Mar 17 | 4,377 | 656.28 | 28,725 | 28,640 | 0.012 |
| Homeserve | Mark Morris | 13 Mar 17 | 7,094 | 525.79 | 37,300 | 64,616 | 0.021 |
| Homeserve | Mark Morris | 14 Mar 17 | 7,100 | 524.76 | 37,258 | 71,716 | 0.023 |
| Laird | Kevin Dangerfield (cfo) | 10 Mar 17 | 25,000 | 190.01 | 47,503 | 35,000 | 0.013 |
| Laird | Michael Parker | 14 Mar 17 | 48,055 | 181 | 86,980 | 133,945 | 0.049 |
| Meggitt | Colin Day | 13 Mar 17 | 25,000 | 453.4 | 113,350 | 50,868 | 0.007 |
| PureCircle | John Gibney | 14 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 313 | 31,300 | 10,000 | 0.006 |
| PureCircle♥ | John Gibney | 14 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 313 | 31,300 | 20,000 | 0.012 |
| Spirent Communications | Eric Hutchinson (ceo) | 10 Mar 17 | 93,798 | 106 | 99,426 | 1,821,614 | 0.298 |
| Spirent Communications | Eric Hutchinson (ceo) | 15 Mar 17 | 182,713 | 108.875 | 198,929 | 2,004,327 | 0.328 |
| Spirent Communications♥ | Alex Walker (ch) | 10 Mar 17 | 75,000 | 106.2725 | 79,704 | 417,458 | 0.068 |
| Spirent Communications♥ | Paula Bell (cfo) | 15 Mar 17 | 72,000 | 108.5 | 78,120 | 72,000 | 0.012 |
| Standard Chartered♥ | José Viñals (ch) | 13 Mar 17 | 6,500 | 738.9 | 48,029 | 8,500 | 0.000 |
| Trakm8* | Keith Evans | 10 Mar 17 | 153,846 | 65 | 100,000 | 153,846 | 0.431 |
| Trakm8* | Matt Cowley | 10 Mar 17 | 153,846 | 65 | 100,000 | 1,744,203 | 4.887 |
| Trakm8* | John Watkins (ch) | 10 Mar 17 | 338,461 | 65 | 220,000 | 6,177,859 | 17.308 |
| Trakm8* | James Hedges (fd) | 10 Mar 17 | 107,692 | 65 | 70,000 | 2,250,318 | 6.304 |
| Trakm8* | Tim Cowley | 10 Mar 17 | 92,307 | 65 | 60,000 | 1,949,945 | 5.463 |
| Trakm8* | Bill Duffy | 10 Mar 17 | 100,000 | 65 | 65,000 | 140,000 | 0.392 |
| Tyman | Helen Clatworthy | 09 Mar 17 | 15,000 | 312.826 | 46,924 | 15,000 | 0.008 |
| ValiRx* | George Morris | 15 Mar 17 | 400,000 | 2.5 | 10,000 | 588,287 | 0.441 |
| ValiRx* | Satu Vainikka (ceo) | 15 Mar 17 | 400,000 | 2.5 | 10,000 | 624,909 | 0.469 |
| ValiRx* | Gerry Desler (fd) | 15 Mar 17 | 400,000 | 2.5 | 10,000 | 541,875 | 0.406 |
| W Resources*♥ | Michael Masterman (ch) | 14 Mar 17 | 42,857,142 | 0.35 | 150,000 | 1,036,541,840 | 22.658 |
| William Hill | Philip Bowcock (ceo) | 10 Mar 17 | 3,583 | 269.96 | 9,673 | 3,583 | 0.000 |
| William Hill | Philip Bowcock (ceo) | 10 Mar 17 | 5,597 | 270.7 | 15,151 | 14,785 | 0.002 |
| William Hill | Philip Bowcock (ceo) | 10 Mar 17 | 5,605 | 270.3 | 15,150 | 9,188 | 0.001 |
| William Hill | Philip Bowcock (ceo) | 10 Mar 17 | 15,215 | 270.81 | 41,204 | 30,000 | 0.003 |
| William Hill | Robin Terrell | 10 Mar 17 | 12,344 | 273.1 | 33,711 | 12,344 | 0.001 |
| William Hill | Roy Gardner | 10 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 270.7 | 27,070 | 22,600 | 0.003 |
| Sells | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Beazley | Adrian Cox | 14 Mar 17 | 4,000 | 436.5109 | 17,460 | 806,956 | 0.154 |
| Capital & Regional | Hugh Scott-Barrett (ceo) | 09 Mar 17 | 125,000 | 59.3 | 74,125 | 2,240,000 | 0.319 |
| Close Brothers♥ | Elizabeth Lee | 15 Mar 17 | 6,000 | 1,557.002 | 93,420 | 30,265 | 0.020 |
| Greggs | Richard Hutton (fd) | 09 Mar 17 | 7,200 | 1,003.345 | 72,241 | 29,724 | 0.029 |
| Jimmy Choo | Robert Singer | 13 Mar 17 | 120,000 | 166.3078 | 199,569 | 165,714 | 0.044 |
| Metro Bank | Gene Lockhart | 13 Mar 17 | 10,000 | 3357 | 335,700 | 55,689 | 0.069 |
| Premier Veterinary | Dominic Tonner (ceo) | 10 Mar 17 | 619,167 | 225 | 1,393,126 | 1,799,670 | 12.072 |
| Premier Veterinary | Iain Ross | 10 Mar 17 | 116,084 | 225 | 261,189 | 389,725 | 2.614 |
| Premier Veterinary | Rajan Uppal | 10 Mar 17 | 1,614,749 | 225 | 3,633,185 | 5,421,138 | 36.365 |
| Purplebricks* | Michael Bruce (ceo) | 15 Mar 17 | 3,666,667 | 220 | 8,066,667 | 37,662,591 | 13.923 |
| Purplebricks* | Neil Cartwright (cfo) | 15 Mar 17 | 1,000,000 | 220 | 2,200,000 | 1,101,502 | 0.407 |
| Purplebricks* | William Whitehorn | 15 Mar 17 | 250,000 | 220 | 550,000 | 838,269 | 0.310 |
| Staffline | Andy Hogarth (ceo) | 14 Mar 17 | 55,000 | 1,150 | 632,500 | 1,560,504 | 5.603 |
| * placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party | |||||||
