Join our community of smart investors

EnQuest's bargain basement deal

EnQuest's chief executive has taken advantage of a dramatic slide in the North Sea driller's share price to bolster his holding.
November 19, 2014

EnQuest's chief executive (ENQ) Amjad Bseisu forked out just under £350,000 for another 512,836 shares in the North Sea driller a week or so before it announced its intention to spend up to £500m on its North Sea oil and gas assets as it moves towards bringing major projects into production.

IC TIP: Buy at 64p

Mr Bseisu snaffled the shares for roughly half the price they were commanding at the end of July, as the subsequent contraction in Brent crude has weighed heavily on the share price. EnQuest now trades at a record low following the abandonment of a well in Malaysia and on concerns that it is disproportionately exposed if crude prices move toward $70 a barrel. Macquarie has downgraded its outlook on the stock from 'outperform' to 'neutral', as fears of a prolonged slump in crude prices intensify.

Buys
CompanyDirectorDateNo of sharesPrice (p)Value (£)Holding (shares)Holding (%)
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust DJ Jeffcoat07 Nov 142,2301,11524,8657,3610.008
Aeorema Communications Michael Hale (ch)07 Nov 1420,0005110,2001,670,00018.452
APR Energy Laurence Anderson (ce)11 Nov 1410,000306.930,69010,0000.011
Asian Total Return Investment Co CA Keljik 12 Nov 141,046190.911,99783,7110.114
BP Marsh & Partners ♥ (see sale below)Brian Marsh (ch)06 Nov 141,421,1301381,961,15918,505,40163.336
Booker ♥Karen Jones 07 Nov 143,9191425,565180,8610.010
Cable & Wireless Communications S P Ball07 Nov 1460,00044.6726,802504,3480.018
Cable & Wireless Communications *Perley McBride (cfo)11 Nov 14700,00045315,000700,0000.025
Cable & Wireless Communications *Mark Hamlin11 Nov 1422,2224510,000122,2220.004
Cable & Wireless Communications *Phil Bentley (ce)11 Nov 14700,00045315,0005,000,0000.180
Cable & Wireless Communications *Sir Richard Lapthorne (ch)11 Nov 14500,00045225,0009,000,0000.324
e2v technologies Stephen Blair (ce)10 Nov 1420,000166.3133,262119,3380.055
Ebiquity Michael Greenlees (ce)10 Nov 1494,26710699,923324,2670.430
EnQuest Amjad Bseisu (ce)07 Nov 14512,83668.16349,54971,405,3318.896
Fenner Nicholas Hobson (ce)12 Nov 1413,00029538,350285,7870.147
GETECH  Peter Stephens06 Nov 1425,0005112,750888,0002.929
Haydale Graphene Industries John Knowles (ch)10 Nov 1440,72961.3824,999113,1830.989
Lonmin Brian Beamish (ch)11 Nov 1430,000189.956,97030,0000.005
Manchester & London Investment Trust PHA Stanley (ch)10 Nov 141,800251.254,52315,0500.069
Menzies (John) Drusilla Maizey07 Nov 141,5003355,0251,5000.002
Menzies (John) Ian Harley07 Nov 142,000340.66,8126,0000.010
Menzies (John) Iain Napier (ch)06 Nov 143,102322.410,00112,9550.021
Menzies (John) Jeremy Stafford (ce)07 Nov 145,88234019,9995,8820.010
Menzies (John) Jeremy Stafford (ce)11 Nov 145,869340.7519,99911,7510.019
MirLand Development Corp ♥Eliezer Fishman12 Nov 141,5001922,880332,2130.321
Mission Marketing Group (The) †Giles Lee10 Nov 144,400451,980732,0580.878
Nature  Jan Vesseur11 Nov 1410,00018.31,83050,0000.063
Nature  Andreas Drenthen (ce)11 Nov 1450,00018.39,15019,050,00024.029
Nature  Nigel Sandy (ch)07 Nov 1422,50018.44,140398,0000.502
Old Mutual Alan Gillespie 06 Nov 1413,000192.425,01213,0000.000
Old Mutual Patrick O'Sullivan (ch)06 Nov 148,681191.816,650100,0000.002
Retroscreen Virology  Jaime Ellertson (ch)07 Nov 145,423231.0512,5305,4230.008
Rolls-Royce Holdings Ruth Cairnie07 Nov 14185877.51,6233560.000
Rolls-Royce Holdings Ian Davis (ch)07 Nov 14225877.51,97418,8040.001
Rolls-Royce Holdings John Neill 07 Nov 14362877.53,17744,5630.002
Rolls-Royce Holdings Sir Frank Chapman07 Nov 14450877.53,9498,6920.000
SacOil Holdings SH Muller12 Nov 14100,0001.8481,848578,0030.018
SacOil Holdings Dr TC Kgogo (ce)12 Nov 14330,8461.9046,298330,8460.010
SDL ♥Maria Lancaster (ce)12 Nov 1410,05038939,0951,381,1871.706
Stobart  Iain Ferguson (ch)07 Nov 1460,00010060,000200,0000.061
Stobart  John Coombs03 Nov 1450,33799.249,934nana
Stobart  John Garbutt07 Nov 1425,000100.425,10025,0000.008
Stock Spirits  Christopher Heath (ce)06 Nov 1450,000225.2112,6004,184,1162.092
Stock Spirits  Jack Keenan06 Nov 14100,000224.5224,5001,085,1800.543
Stock Spirits ♥ Lesley Jackson (cfo)06 Nov 1420,000225.245,04020,0000.010
Stock Spirits ♥ David Maloney17 Nov 145,000247.412,370nana
Tate & Lyle Virginia Kaky06 Nov 145,000606.0730,30410,0000.002
Vodafone  Vittorio Colao (ce)11 Nov 14271,509219.45595,82710,639,2900.040

Sells
CompanyDirectorDateNo of sharesPrice (p)Value (£)Holding (shares)Holding (%)
BP Marsh & Partners ♥Natasha Dunbar06 Nov 141,421,1301381,961,15900.000
Galliford Try Kenneth Gillespie12 Nov 1448,7821,193581,969230,5300.280
Galliford Try ♥Kenneth Gillespie12 Nov 147,3321,19387,471223,1980.271
Hikma Pharmaceuticals Said Darwazah (ch & ce)12 Nov 14155,7241,900.62,959,69011,108,3435.593
Lombard Risk Management John McCormick07 Nov 14100,0001313,0009,076,7563.446
Sprue Aegis John Gahan (fd)11 Nov 1427,00030281,54020,0000.044
* placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party † Approved SIP