Although e-commerce specialist Asos (ASC) has seen its share price halve year on year, that hasn't stopped chief executive Nick Robertson from cashing in and selling off a portion of his stake in the company. After a year of turmoil, Asos gave investors a positive update in early January. In the six weeks to 9 January, retail sales accelerated 15 per cent. That’s significantly ahead of the first quarter, during which retail sales grew just 8 per cent year on year.
More pleasing was a market upturn for the international division. Sales there rose 5 per cent during the same six-week period, compared with a 2 per cent decline in the first quarter.
Analysts at Numis said as comparative figures start to weaken, the strength of sterling is annualised and certain pricing benefits trickle through, sales should continue to ramp up this year.
Buys | |||||||
Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
1pm | Ron Russell | 22 Jan 15 | 15,000 | 63 | 9,450 | 7,348,684 | 19.903 |
Aberdeen Asian Income Fund | PAK Arthur (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 250 | 199.83 | 500 | 43,386 | 0.022 |
Bankers IT | D Wild | 22 Jan 15 | 8,403 | 599.98 | 50,416 | 12,803 | 0.011 |
BlackRock Throgmorton Trust ♥ | SD Beart | 26 Jan 15 | 178 | 287.25 | 511 | 33,954 | 0.046 |
Braemar Shipping Services | Jurgen Breuer | 28 Jan 15 | 6,000 | 455 | 27,300 | 6,000 | 0.020 |
Burberry | Carolyn McCall | 28 Jan 15 | 1,117 | 1,777 | 19,849 | 1,117 | 0.000 |
Caledonia Mining Corp | Leigh Wilson (ch) | 23 Jan 15 | 30,200 | 42.383 | 12,800 | 72,500 | 0.139 |
Daily Internet | Michael Edelson (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 6,318,704 | 1.5 | 94,781 | 27,584,000 | 5.749 |
Daily Internet | Christopher Evans (ce) | 29 Jan 15 | 369,485 | 1.5 | 5,542 | 19,625,367 | 4.100 |
Flowgroup | Nigel Canham (cfo) | 22 Jan 15 | 68,400 | 43 | 29,412 | 68,400 | 0.029 |
Flybe | Simon Laffin (ch) | 26 Jan 15 | 60,728 | 69.75 | 42,358 | 288,000 | 0.133 |
Foreign & Colonial | CA Keljik | 27 Jan 15 | 9,000 | 450 | 40,500 | 72,001 | 0.013 |
Games Workshop | Elaine O'Donnell | 22 Jan 15 | 1,500 | 502.25 | 7,534 | 1,500 | 0.005 |
Intercede | Ian Drew | 23 Jan 15 | 26,000 | 114 | 29,640 | 73,000 | 0.151 |
JPMorgan Smaller Companies | AS Robson | 27 Jan 15 | 1,000 | 744.53 | 7,445 | 2,163 | 0.012 |
JPMorgan Smaller Companies | MF Quicke (ch) | 27 Jan 15 | 4,879 | 752.5 | 36,714 | 9,212 | 0.052 |
Lamprell | John Kennedy (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 55,291 | 107.44 | 59,406 | 1,293,128 | 0.378 |
Lamprell Ω | John Kennedy (ch) | 23 Jan 15 | 28,128 | 104.89 | 29,503 | 1,321,256 | 0.387 |
Lamprell Ω | John Kennedy (ch) | 26 Jan 15 | 117,857 | 111.54 | 131,463 | 1,439,113 | 0.421 |
Learning Technologies | Leslie-Ann Reed | 26 Jan 15 | 750,000 | 18.5 | 138,750 | 750,000 | 0.212 |
Learning Technologies | Neil Elton (fd) | 26 Jan 15 | 160,000 | 18.5 | 29,600 | 160,000 | 0.045 |
Leed Resources | Charles Zorab | 22 Jan 15 | 3,268,294 | 0.09 | 2,941 | 3,268,294 | 0.105 |
London Capital Holdings | Charles Henri-Sabet (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 250,000 | 29.5 | 73,750 | 1,700,000 | 2.609 |
Madagascar Oil ♥ | Steve Hope | 28 Jan 15 | 100,000 | 4.5 | 4,500 | 187,390,232 | 28.737 |
Madagascar Oil ♥ | Steve Hope | 28 Jan 15 | 100,000 | 8 | 8,000 | 187,290,232 | 28.722 |
Madagascar Oil ♥ | Steve Hope | 28 Jan 15 | 160,000 | 8.5 | 13,600 | 187,190,232 | 28.707 |
Madagascar Oil ♥ | Steve Hope | 28 Jan 15 | 200,000 | 7.98 | 15,950 | 187,030,232 | 28.682 |
Miton | Gervais Williams | 23 Jan 15 | 295,000 | 25.5 | 75,225 | 9,088,241 | 5.321 |
NetDimensions (Holdings) † | Jay Shaw (ce) | 28 Jan 15 | 750 | 76 | 570 | 4,814,000 | 12.398 |
Phorm Corp ♥ | Johannes Roth | 22 Jan 15 | 9,500,000 | 10.5 | 997,500 | 80,289,607 | 10.443 |
Plutus PowerGen * | Phil Stephens (ce) | 22 Jan 15 | 3,846,154 | 0.65 | 25,000 | 38,012,821 | 6.652 |
Porvair | Dr Raj Rajagopal | 26 Jan 15 | 15,000 | 302.88 | 45,431 | 15,000 | 0.033 |
RM2 International ♥ | Ian Molson (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 1,000,000 | 51 | 510,000 | 8,500,000 | 2.633 |
Roxi Petroleum | Kairat Satylganov (cfo) | 26 Jan 15 | 16,758,286 | 7.41 | 1,241,789 | 236,291,830 | 26.999 |
Roxi Petroleum ♥ | Edmund Limerick | 22 Jan 15 | 555,000 | 8.75 | 48,563 | 555,000 | 0.063 |
RWS Holdings Ω | Reinhard Ottway (ce) | 27 Jan 15 | 586 | 852 | 4,993 | 586 | 0.001 |
Sound Oil ♥ | M Fumagalli | 28 Jan 15 | 3,906,250 | 16 | 625,000 | 68,193,750 | 16.267 |
Telecom plus | Melvin Lawson | 26 Jan 15 | 25,000 | 985 | 246,250 | 2,089,869 | 2.608 |
Telecom plus | Julian Schild | 26 Jan 15 | 25,000 | 985 | 246,250 | 158,682 | 0.198 |
Telecom plus | The Hon Charles Wigoder (ch) | 26 Jan 15 | 25,000 | 985 | 246,250 | 12,958,683 | 16.171 |
W Resources * | Michael Masterman (ch) | 26 Jan 15 | 50,666,666 | 0.3 | 152,000 | 790,549,169 | 27.388 |
W Resources * ♥ | Dr. Byron Pirola | 26 Jan 15 | 16,666,666 | 0.3 | 50,000 | 171,876,415 | 5.955 |
Whitbread | Richard Baker (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 2,743 | 4,920 | 134,956 | 15,189 | 0.008 |
Sells | |||||||
Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
Arian Silver Corp | Anthony Williams (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 85,000 | 36.68 | 31,175 | 0 | 0.000 |
ASOS | Nicholas Robertson (ce) | 28 Jan 15 | 744,600 | 2,716.49 | 20,226,951 | 7,000,000 | 8.390 |
Judges Scientific | David Barnbrook | 23 Jan 15 | 700 | 1,605 | 11,235 | 21,791 | 0.363 |
Judges Scientific | The Hon Alex Hambro (ch) | 22 Jan 15 | 15,000 | 1,605 | 240,750 | 77,500 | 1.292 |
Kingfisher | Sir Ian Cheshire | 27 Jan 15 | 16,000 | 346.4 | 55,424 | 2,555,970 | 0.109 |
Kingfisher ♥ | Sir Ian Cheshire | 27 Jan 15 | 15,000 | 346.4 | 51,960 | 2,555,970 | 0.109 |
Learning Technologies | Jonathan Satchell (ce) | 26 Jan 15 | 3,000,000 | 18.5 | 555,000 | 110,214,995 | 31.090 |
Proton Power Systems | Thomas Melczer | 22 Jan 15 | 250,000 | 4.14 | 10,352 | 250,000 | 0.039 |
SThree | Gary Elden (ce) | 28 Jan 15 | 150,000 | 338 | 507,000 | 3,068,085 | 2.422 |
WYG | Graham Olver | 28 Jan 15 | 23,404 | 110 | 25,744 | 64,322 | 0.096 |
WYG ♥ | Graham Olver | 28 Jan 15 | 64,322 | 110 | 70,754 | 0 | 0.000 |
* placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party Ω ISA/SIPP/Trust † depositary receipts |